# Does anyone make swamp gravy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815 "2017-10-14T13:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/1 "2017-10-14T13:38:11Z")
I have to say, the recipes look awful. Is it good? What am I missing. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/2 "2017-10-14T14:02:51Z")
I guess it depends on how you feel about fried fish. For those unfamiliar with the concept, to make swamp gravy you fry up some fish. Then you remove the fish and fry a diced potato, a diced onion, and a can of diced tomatoes in the frying pan to soak up the drippings. Peppers, corn, and okra might be optional ingredients. Pour the result back on top of the fish. I don’t see anything terribly wrong with the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/3 "2017-10-14T14:09:42Z")
Never had it, never heard of it, but it sounds delicious. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/4 "2017-10-14T14:10:03Z")
I’ve never heard of it, but the description above sounds great to me. I assume given the name and ingredients this is a Louisiana thing? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/5 "2017-10-14T15:17:35Z")
Sounds awesome to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/6 "2017-10-14T15:58:15Z")
Never had it or heard of it, but I’d do it in a second. It sounds like a basic New Orleans recipe for _grillades_. You’d probably have some grits on the plate as well, and they’d get an equal dose of the gravy. > **[Grillades](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grillades)** > > Grillades /ɡree-yahds/ are medallions of various meats, conventionally beef, but veal and pork are also used in modern recipes. Often served with gravy at breakfast or brunch over grits, they are a traditional Creole food. > Despite the name, grillades are not grilled, but fried or seared. For grillades with gravy, the meat is cut into medallions, pounded flat, seasoned and dredged in flour. The meat is then browned and braised in a flavorful liquid made up of roux and chopped or crushed tomatoes.... ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/7 "2017-10-14T16:06:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > For those unfamiliar with the concept, to make swamp gravy you fry up some fish. Then you remove the fish and fry a diced potato, a diced onion, and a can of diced tomatoes in the frying pan to soak up the drippings. Peppers, corn, and okra might be optional ingredients. Pour the result back on top of the fish. > > I don’t see anything terribly wrong with the idea. Sounds good, but it seems to be a lot more like a stew than a “gravy.” (Other recipes recommend taking the fish off the bone and mixing it in.) It seems to differ from other fish stews in that the fish is fried first rather than stewed with the rest of the ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/8 "2017-10-14T17:58:36Z")
I’ve seen recipes that suggest other meats but fried fish is the primary choice. I think the basic idea was this was a recipe you could make during a fishing trip (presumably you’re fishing in the swamp) over a campfire. “What’s your secret ingredient?” “Mosquitoes.” ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/9 "2017-10-14T18:21:46Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Sounds good, but it seems to be a lot more like a stew than a “gravy.” (Other recipes recommend taking the fish off the bone and mixing it in.) It seems to differ from other fish stews in that the fish is fried first rather than stewed with the rest of the ingredients. Well, that would make it _etouffee._. A whole lot of Cajun recipes are variations on a theme. Meat, poultry or seafood cooked in the “holy trinity” of onion, celery, and green pepper, plus garlic and sometimes tomatoes. Oh, and rice. See also jambalaya, gumbo, dirty rice, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/10 "2017-10-14T18:41:47Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Well, that would make it _etouffee._. I think an _etouffee_ would be more like a gravy in that it contains a roux. “Gravy” to my mind usually contains some thickening agent like flour or cornstarch. From the recipes I’ve seen “swamp gravy” doesn’t seem to contain any thickening agent, so it seems odd to call it a gravy. Then again Paulie Walnuts on _The Sopranos_ calls marinara sauce “gravy”… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/11 "2017-10-15T19:57:40Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I think an _etouffee_ would be more like a gravy in that it contains a roux. “Gravy” to my mind usually contains some thickening agent like flour or cornstarch. From the recipes I’ve seen “swamp gravy” doesn’t seem to contain any thickening agent, so it seems odd to call it a gravy. > > Then again Paulie Walnuts on _The Sopranos_ calls marinara sauce “gravy”… I’m sure you know that roux is just flour browned in oil. When I make gravy, I start with a roux and then add the liquid, rather than adding thickener later. It eliminates the taste of uncooked flour and the need for some sort of browning agent like Kitchen Bouquet. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/12 "2017-10-15T20:13:55Z")
“Swamp gravy,” just [appears to be a fanciful name](http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:181735/datastream/PDF/view) for a common side dish that was served with fried fish and hush puppies in certain communities. Read page 1. Interesting history of a food I hadn’t heard of. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/13 "2017-10-15T20:44:06Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Well, that would make it _etouffee._. Isn’t étouffée just a type of stew? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/14 "2017-10-15T21:01:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “Swamp gravy,” just [appears to be a fanciful name](http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:181735/datastream/PDF/view) for a common side dish that was served with fried fish and hush puppies in certain communities. Read page 1. Interesting history of a food I hadn’t heard of. I should probably more accurately say “folk history.” It’s not an absolutely verified source of the phrase, but I can’t imagine it’s anything but a folksy name for a thick liquid stew concoction that goes with a fried fish dinner. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-make-swamp-gravy/798815/15 "2017-10-15T23:57:18Z")
It would be very easy to made swamp gravy here b/c the city water taste like swamp water ! My dog doesn’t even like it.