Recipes for this shrimp season
If you drive on U.S. 90 just after dark on a certain evening in June, you will notice the horizon out over the Mississippi Sound has come alive with the anchor lights of shrimp boats.
This annual event can mean only one thing — the Mississippi shrimp season is about to begin. That date was June 6 this year.
There are a lot of good reasons so many people move to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Often it is a good job, or a reasonable place to retire, but if you are a devoted foodie, then the abundance of delicious and fresh seafood just might sway your decision.
The salty waters of the Mississippi Sound and the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico, just a few miles further offshore, are teeming with fish, crabs, shrimp and oysters.
But there is something special about the opening of the wild-caught shrimp season. This year we celebrated in a rather spectacular way when the shrimpers began bringing in huge shrimp on the first day. There were 16/20 count, which average 18 per pound.
Shrimp are sized by a count per pound, so extra-large shrimp fall into a categories of 26/30, jumbo 21/25, extra jumbo 16/20 and so on.
The larger is better
There is quite a divergence of opinion on what size to use for what recipe, but I hold steadfast to the opinion that the larger the better no matter what you are cooking.
Now don’t get your dander up, but in the old days, shrimpers were stuck with the smallest shrimp they caught, so they did the only thing they could do — feed them to their family. Tiny as they were, they were a real pain to peel, but they often found their way into a gumbo pot, and so earned the moniker of gumbo shrimp.
The first time I disclosed that notion, I got angry mail for weeks. Some writers were offended that I might suggest that the family recipe that called for gumbo shrimp could be replaced with jumbo or even extra jumbo. That’s just my opinion, but sit down, take a breath and try it. You might like it.
More uses for shrimp
OK, let’s move on. So what else can you do with shrimp besides making a gumbo? Now that is an endless list, like the famous Forrest Gump list.
Today I will focus on three: shrimp boat spaghetti, shrimp pâté and garlicky shrimp bruschetta.
Garlicy shrimp bruschetta
This is another easy recipe. It is best when served with garlic aioli (garlic, salt and mayo) and lots of it. Toast rounds of bread as in the previous recipe, add lots of the aioli and then garnish with 2 large shrimp.
1 pound large shrimp
3-5 cloves of garlic
½ stick butter
Red pepper flakes
Fresh herbs, basil, sage and or thyme will do
Slice the garlic as paper-thin as you can. Melt the butter in a pan in low to medium heat, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the butter is intensely flavored. If the garlic browns, remove it. Turn up the heat, add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute. Spread an inordinate amount of aioli on the toast, add the shrimp (with butter from the pan if you like) and serve at once.
Shrimp pâté
This is another simple recipe. Serve it with toasted rounds of bread as a dip or snack. It pairs wonderfully with a craft beer or a dry white wine such as gruner veltliner.
1 pound peeled shrimp
1 chopped onion
2-3 tablespoons butter (more if you like)
Prepared horseradish
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (again, more if you like)
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Mayonnaise
Valentino Hot Sauce
Season the shrimp with Tony’s and sauté in butter for one minute. Remove and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes. The rest of this recipe is by taste and eye. Add the shrimp and onion to a food processor and blend, but keep it a bit coarse. Add a cup or so of mayonnaise, a teaspoon or two of horseradish, a little lemon and as much hot sauce as you like. Blend, taste and re-season as necessary. Serve with the toasted rounds of bread mentioned in the accompanying bruschetta recipe, but if you want a little more kick, add garlic and red pepper flakes to the butter you toast the bread in.
Shrimp boat spaghetti
Shrimp boat spaghetti is a Biloxi classic. A poor shrimper could feed himself and crew with a pound or two of dried pasta, a large can of whole tomatoes or a few fresh ones and as many shrimp, of any size, that he might choose. The whole meal would set him back just pennies, and the same holds true today. Want to feed a large table of family or friends? Go for this recipe.
1 pound large peeled wild caught shrimp
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 chopped onion
1-2 chopped bell pepper
3-5 cloves chopped garlic
1-2 chopped and seeded jalapeño peppers (optional)
1 cup dry red wine (optional)
1 big pinch red pepper flakes
Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
Butter and olive oil
Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain. If you are not going to serve it immediately, shock it in an ice bath to stop it from cooking and set aside. Add a little olive oil to a sauté pan, plus a tab or two of butter. Season the shrimp with Tony’s and when the butter is foaming in the hot pan, add the shrimp. Cook for 30 seconds on a side. Remove the shrimp, set aside and add the onion and peppers to the same pan (don’t wipe it out or wash, because there is too much flavor to waste). Season with Tony’s and the red pepper flakes (make sure they are fresh) and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Drain most of the liquid from the tomatoes and crush by hand. Add to the pan, along with the wine and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the shrimp and cook for just a few minutes to incorporate the flavors. Plate the pasta, top with the sauce and shrimp, and if you are very brave, top with fresh-grated Parmesan. If you have them, a garnish of fresh herbs would be a good thing.
This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 5:13 AM with the headline "Recipes for this shrimp season."