[Hou] Gulf Shrimp

[tatiana]

A new shrimp purveyor is at the Bayou city farmer's market on Saturdays in Houston. She sells frozen gulf shrimp in various sizes by the 2lb - 5lb frozen chunk (if you want heads on, you have to order in advance). I was surprised at the incredibly strong iodine taste of these red/brown shrimp, a taste I admit, I don't like and find overpowering. I googled shrimp and discovered a description of gulf shrimp as being: white, pink, or brown, with quality decreasing in that order. (http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/souptonuts/fish_shrimp.html)

Where can you get white gulf shrimp locally in Houston? Is it really true that brown shrimp are inferior? Are they difficult to distinguish from pink shrimp as wiki claims? If you brine the shrimp does the iodine taste go away?

A recent post on Houston Press describes brown shrimp as an acquired taste. I would like to buy locally but I'm not sure I want to splurge on iodine shrimp!

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2007/..._a_perverse.php

[Bill Miller]

I find little difference in white or brown--I do prefer wild caught--your shrimp may have been a little old or not stored properly--I love the brown shrimp I buy at the docks in Galveston, or at Central Market, Krogers, or Randells. Make sure of your source and try a small amount again. Good luck.

[Bree20]

I too love caught in the wild shrimp I think you can tell the different and like Mark I have had gulf shrimp that are brown.

What you have described sounds like the shrimp are passing out of their prime or were frozen to late. I have some friends who shrimp for a living and they have told me stories how people who do not know to much about shrimp at first will put them in the frig and they forget they are in there and when the shrimp are just about past their days try to freezen them as not to lose their investment.

I get alot of my caught in the wild shrimp for free and hence, they always have their heads on )makes for great stock), but if a shrimp does not have a clean sweet smell, I trash them.