Shrimp Tips

Shrimp Storage and Handling: Nutritional Facts

Store fresh shrimp in the coldest part of your refrigerator.
Marinate shrimp under refrigeration, never at room temperature. Throw away used marinade since it contains raw shrimp juice. Serve the shrimp on a clean platter.
Keep raw and cooked shrimp separate.
After handling raw shrimp, thoroughly wash knives, cutting surfaces, and your hands with hot soapy water.
Thaw shrimp under cold running water.
To defrost IQF (instant quick frozen) shrimp soak in water completely until shrimp are thawed (small amounts should take about 5 minutes).
Unless iced thoroughly, don’t leave fresh shrimp out of the refrigerator.
Before cooking shrimp rinse under cold water.
Make sure that juices from raw shrimp do not drip onto cooked foods.

How to go about purchasing wild shrimp:

One must always ask where the shrimp is from or look on the back of the package. Do not be fooled when it states processed in the USA. That does not mean that it is from the USA. Read the fine print on the bag or box.
The best way to make sure you’re getting wild shrimp is to purchase it from a commercial shrimper.
Always look for quality----Make sure the shrimp are not spotted black.
In Louisiana we have two main species that are sold on the market which are brown and white shrimp. The brown shrimp have a bit more iodine in them and are brownish in color. The white shrimp are more of a grayish color.
While most websites, grocery stores and seafood store operations list their shrimp as colossal, jumbo….etc. Different businesses use different counts for jumbo, large and such. The industry at this time has no set standards on this wording.
The count size of shrimp is the number of shrimp it takes to make a pound. For instance, a 21/25 count means that there are approximately 21 to 25 shrimp within that pound. The higher the count the smaller the shrimp.

Our count sizes of shrimp and how we label them:

Super Colossal	under 12
Colossal	10/15
Jumbo	16/20 to 21/25
Large	26/30 to 31/35
Medium	36/40 to 41/50
Small	51/60 to 61/70

Uses of shrimp per size:

1. Under 12, 10/15, 16/20 and 21/25
   Butterfly and fry
   Grill
   Steam with veggies
   Wrap in bacon to fry or grill
   Shish kabobs
   BBQ shrimp
   Coconut shrimp
   Shrimp cocktail
   
   
2. 21/25 and 26/30
   BeerBQ shrimp
   Shish Kabobs
   Stuffed Shrimp
   Stir Fry
   Boiled, steamed or fried
   Coconut shrimp
   Shrimp and tasso pasta
   Sweet and sour shrimp
   Fajitas
   
   
3. 31/35 and 36/40
   Boiled
   Sauteed shrimp
   Stuffed bell peppers
   Shrimp and okra gumbo
   Shrimp stew
   Shrimp spaghetti
   Shrimp Dip
   Shrimp alfredo
   Shrimp and grits
   Wine herb shrimp
   Stir fry
   Shrimp and corn soup
   
   
4. 41/50, 51/60 and 61/70
   Use these sizes to make the stuffing for stuffed shrimp or for the stuffing in the flounder.
   Boullettes (shrimp balls)
   Gumbo
   Shrimp patties
   Fettuccini
   Sauteed shrimp
   Shrimp sausage
   Shrimp scampi
   Shrimp creole or etouffee
   Shrimp fritters
   Jambalaya
   Stew
   Spaghetti
   Wine herb shrimp
   Salad shrimp
   Shrimp and grits