Our annual survey of seafood in Southeast Louisiana this year counts down the 33 best seafood species enjoyed in our restaurants, seafood markets, and homes. For the full survey so far, click here. Or use the links at the bottom to move up and down the list.
#7: Louisiana Shrimp
The shrimp we gather from local waters are of such fantastic quality that we're safe in calling them the best in the world. For years, they were the standard of all America. In most of the of the country, when people ate shrimp they were probably eating our shrimp.
I guess it's a measure of how little importance quality holds when it competes against price that imported shrimp of substantially lower goodness have all but taken over. Even in supermarkets in the New Orleans area, you really have to work to find local shrimp. And that's really crazy. We ought to raise hell about that. (I know I do.)
Not all is disaster, though. During shrimp season, restaurants have a hard time getting fish, because all the boats are out catching shrimp. Shrimp remain the most valuable single seafood commodity in the country, with Louisiana leading the league.
Shrimp migrate from the Gulf into the estuaries along the coast. There they spawn and fatten up. Brown shrimp appear in the spring and fall. White shrimp, which have a longer growing cycle, show up in autumn. Although to the untrained eye white shrimp and brown shrimp look pretty much alike, white shrimp are the ones with the ridiculously long antennae.
Shrimp are sized according to "count"--the number of shrimp per pound. The best for barbecuing or broiling are under 20 count. Most of the shrimp you get in more elegant dishes are 20-25 count; for things like fried shrimp or shrimp Creole, they go as small as 40 count.
White shrimp are the best for barbecue shrimp, grilled shrimp, broiled shrimp, or any other dish where big shrimp are needed. The meat is a bit tenderer than that of brown shrimp, and the shells aren't as hard. And at least one authority notes that white shrimp don't eat acorn worms, which is what gives some shrimp that pronounced iodine flavor at certain times.
Although getting shrimp fresh off the boat is clearly the way to go, shrimp freeze and thaw without any significant damage to texture or flavor. So they're available year-round, not just during the fall shrimp season. Here's how you can tell if they've been frozen. If the legs and claws are sort of black, they've been frozen.
Barbecue Shrimp
Barbecue shrimp, one of the four or five best dishes in all of New Orleans cooking, is completely misnamed. They're neither grilled nor smoked, and there's no barbecue sauce. It was created in the mid-1950s at Pascal's Manale Restaurant. A regular customer came in and reported that he'd enjoyed a dish in a Chicago restaurant that he though was made with shrimp, butter, and pepper. He asked Pascal Radosta to make it. Radosta took a flyer at it. The customer said that the taste was not the same, but he liked the new dish even better. So was born the signature dish at Manale's.
The dish is simple: huge whole shrimp in a tremendous amount of butter and black pepper. The essential ingredient is large, heads-on shrimp, since the fat in the shrimp heads makes most of the flavor. Resist the urge to add lots of herbs or garlic.
I know that the amount of butter and pepper in this recipe seem fantastic. Be bold. This is not a dish you will eat often--although you will want to.
- 3 lbs. fresh Gulf shrimp with heads on, 16-20 count to the pound
- 1 Tbs. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 Tbs. black pepper (or more!)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 sticks butter, softened
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1 loaf French bread
1. Rinse the shrimp and shake the excess water from them. Put them in a large skillet (or two) over medium heat, and pour the lemon juice, wine, Worcestershire, and garlic over it. Bring the liquids in the pan to a light boil and cook, turning the shrimp over with a spoon every two minutes or so, until all the brown-gray color in the shrimp is gone. Don't overcook! At the first moment when you think the shrimp might be done, they will be: lower the heat to the minimum.
2. Cover the shrimp with a thin but complete layer of black pepper. You must be bold with this. When you think you have enough pepper in there, you still need a little more. Add the paprika and salt.
3. Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces and distribute over the shrimp. With a big spoon, turn the shrimp over. Agitate the pan as the butter melts over the shrimp and emulsifies into the liquid at the bottom of the pan. When no more solid butter is visible. Remove the pan from the burner.
4. Serve the shrimp with lots of the sauce in bowls. Serve with hot French bread for dipping. Also plenty of napkins and perhaps bibs.
Serves four to six.
