Gourmet Shrimp
Often referred to as the “fruit of the sea,†shrimp is quite possibly the most popular and versatile variety of shellfish today. It is quite easy to prepare, and can be served in numerous ways, both cold and hot.
Shrimp can easily be found in many stores. It comes in a variety of ways, including cooked, raw, with the shell removed, with the shell still on, and even cleaned and deveined. Those that have been deveined and peeled are the easiest to work with since they are free of anything that cannot be eaten.
When buying shrimp, you will notice they are usually sold by what is referred to as the “count.†This number tells you how many shrimp you will get per pound and what size the shrimp is. One thing to remember is the higher the count, the smaller the shrimp and the lower the count, the larger the shrimp.
Salad shrimp are quite small, so their count will be very high. Regular shrimp are also small, although not as small as salad shrimp. Jumbo shrimp are larger, and the largest is tiger shrimp.
When raw, shrimp is usually gray in color, although you may find it also has red or blue tints. Shrimp will turn bright pink when fully cooked.
The most popular shrimp are caught off the shores of the Gulf States, most notably Louisiana. It’s no wonder some of the most delectable Louisiana Cajun dishes often include shrimp.
You may have heard the terms scampi and prawns when describing shrimp. Although they are in the same family, prawns are much bigger than jumbo shrimp, while scampi has the tendency to be finer and thinner.
As the name suggests, salad shrimp are most often used in salads. Regular and jumbo shrimp are the most popular varieties, especially for use in shrimp cocktail.
Once caught, shrimp will be flash frozen to ensure it remains fresh. You can keep frozen shrimp in the freezer for a number of months, just make sure they are wrapped very well so they don’t succumb to freezer burn. If you find that you cannot easily find shrimp in your area, many retailers will ship it to your door.