It’s Friday

By Peggy Walker, R.D.

I’m saying let’s have a big platter of mouth-watering Pleoticus robustus this weekend. Oh, these big red pretties are described as good tasting as lobster, but to my taste buds they’re better…way better. Shrimp is definitely my favorite seafood.

DW and I ate fresh lobster on the rocky coast of New Hampshire on a fall trip to New England a few years back. We’d heard of lobster rolls and read of how they were the favorite seafood sandwich of the Northeast area. So…when in Rome…we ordered lobster rolls at a local seafood shack on a rocky crag overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The scenery was breathtaking but the sandwich was rather lackluster we thought.  Chunks of rich lobster dripping in butter on a hot dog bun, of all things.  If I’m having lobster, I’d rather it be on top of a steak.

But, royal red shrimp tops lobster any day in my book.  But, I’m a Southerner, not a New Englander, so maybe I’m slightly biased. This species of shrimp really wasn’t discovered and harvested in earnest until the 1990’s. They are native to the Gulf of Mexico, mainly off the coast of Alabama (100 miles or so south of Orange Beach) and possibly on towards Texas, the Florida Keys, and off the coast of Connecticut.

There fishermen secured federal grants to locate, harvest, and sell this tasty specimen when their other fishing operations dwindled. And now, they can’t keep New York City restaurants supplied.  Seems everyone loves Royal Reds, which sounds more like a baseball team than a crustacean.

Royal Reds have a larger head than the usual brown or white gulf shrimp making them look more like lobster and they are red, or pink, when raw. Shrimpers must go long and deep to find them because they live in the deeper, colder waters of the Gulf, even going as much as a half mile deep. Fathom that! (That’s about 430 to be exact.)

These shrimp don’t travel and live only from 13 months to three years.  And because the shrimp fleets have to go further into the gulf or ocean to find them, the boats must stay out longer to make their trips profitable. That means that the shrimp must be flash frozen onboard, otherwise they would perish (ruin) before getting back to the docks. This is a shrimp that you always purchase frozen.

Here’s the good part…they are tender and tasty. Yes, similar to lobster but sweeter, butterier (even without any extra added), tenderer, with a naturally salty flavor.  Now is your mouth watering?  Peak season is late summer to the end of fall, so for the freshest and tastiest, order Reds that were harvested in September. Usually they are frozen with shell and veins intact.

Here’s the tricky part.  DO NOT OVERCOOK.  With a higher fat content, they cook quicker than other gulf shrimp, which cook rather fast anyway. You will need to watch them carefully. They will turn opaque and start to curl slightly when done.  Usually royal reds require about half the cooking time of brown shrimp. They may still taste okay if overcooked but will be rubbery instead of tender.  So, a reminder:  DO NOT OVERCOOK!

Here’s the best part. They’re so good they don’t need much preparation or fuss.  Peel and devein, then boil, steam, grill, or sauté.  To boil them you don’t even need to add salt to the water because of the Reds’ higher salinity content.

Boil the corn, potatoes, and sausage first if you want a complete meal, then add the shrimp and cook only until they go from pink to opaque. Drain well, and turn it all out on a big platter.  Give them a slight dusting of Old Bay seasoning if you’d like.

Bubba must have been talking about Royal Reds when he told Forrest Gump that “shrimp is the fruit of the sea!”  Bubba knew a secret!

Recipe of the Week

Sautéed Royal Reds

This couldn’t be any easier and my goodness, what a delicious meal!

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Pinch of kosher salt

1-pound Royal Red Shrimp

Peel and devein shrimp. Heat butter in large skillet.  When hot add shrimp.  Sauté with a wooden spatula. Constantly move shrimp around and turning over in the skillet until opaque and they start to curl up on the edges. Transfer to a plate. Salt lightly. (Or, sprinkle very lightly with Cajun or Old Bay seasoning.)  Serves 6.  Each serving has:  98 calories, 15 gms protein, 4 gms fat, and 0 Carbohydrates. Double or triple recipe but DO NOT OVERCOOK!  Serve with cocktail or Comeback sauce, or clarified butter and lemon, a green salad, and French bread…or maybe just more shrimp!