Stowaway Gourmet Jambalaya with Shrimp

Fantastic, and a fantastic diversion from the usual freeze-dried fare.

Big, easily identifiable chunks of vegetables. Big, whole shrimp. Delicious sauce. Almost perfect.

I added an extra half cup of water and gave it an extra five minutes of "cooking" time, and it was just about perfect. A couple pieces of shrimp were just a little chewy—that's it, the rest were *perfect*.  The flavor was authentic compared to most every jambalaya I've had—right down to that sort of weird I-don't-know what spice it is that pervades most Cajun cooking. A decent spike of heat. 

As with all other Stowaway meals I've had, I'd call this more suited to a long day hike rather than an end-of-day backpacking meal. Or just add something of a side dish, crackers or what have you.

I did find myself wishing that it were a gumbo, though. All of that flavor, with the addition of some sausage and maybe a couple chunks of pineapple—that would have been heaven, and a five-star dish.

Background

Decades of backpacking and day hiking, eating hundreds of freeze-dried meals ranging from major manufacturers to boutique fare. This was prepared in the middle of a day hike at about 300 feet.