The Shrimp Factor: Americans love it

[Gifted Gourmet]

article in Slate

Americans do love their decapod crustaceans, be they grilled, scampied, or slathered in cocktail sauce. Shrimp is, in fact, the most-consumed seafood in the United States. According to the National Fisheries Institute, the average American ate 4.2 pounds of the curved critters in 2004, up from to 2.2 pounds in 1990. How did shrimp surpass canned tuna, the longtime seafood champ, and become the nation's favorite marine nibble?  We have a shrimp-farming revolution to thank. Today, around 90 percent of the shrimp consumed in the United States comes from overseas, and the overwhelming majority of those imports are farm-raised.

The article is an interesting one ... mostly on the issues which surround farmed shrimp. Shrimp used to be a delicacy served in fancier places ... but with the rise of the Red Lobsters and others of their ilk, shrimp is readily available for much less pricewise.

Suddenly, shrimp was an everyday food, rather than a special treat.

Comments on the article? Surprises?

[MarketStEl]

Well, among other things, the fact that shrimp consumption continued to rise even after punitive tariffs were levied on the product from Southeast Asia. This suggests that demand is still strong, or that the Asian producers aren't dumping, or that the Americans don't know how to market their stuff--assuming that the tariffs have raised the price of the farmed product to where it matches that of the wild American variety (quite possibly unlikely).

[Bux]

article in Slate

Americans do love their decapod crustaceans, be they grilled, scampied, . . .

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Without even reading the article, "scampying" my shrimp is an interesting concept and a far more complex one, no doubt, than producing "jumbo shrimp."

Most of the shrimp that gets slathered with cocktail sauce is overcooked and devoid of taste. The combination of texture and cocktail sauce without much added shrimp flavor is what most Americans find appealing in my opinion.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Most of the shrimp that gets slathered with cocktail sauce is overcooked and devoid of taste. The combination of texture and cocktail sauce without much added shrimp flavor is what most Americans find appealing in my opinion.

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A result that one could easily achieve by dipping panko crumbs into cocktail sauce and omitting the shrimp entirely ... the fried chicken industry also presumes that Americans like battered and fried best of all ...

[moosnsqrl]

Have you noticed the "wild caught shrimp" marketing efforts (the last 18 months or so)? They are trying to re-educate consumers, now that the market share is so large, about the virtues of the products netted from our own waters versus the cheaper, often farmed product shipped from [mostly] Asia and South America.

A number of chefs have taken up the cause as well.

I have to admit I had become lacadaisical about investigating the source. I'm not sure the ecological ramifications of one type or the other but am confident that someone will illuminate us.

[Gifted Gourmet]

more issues on farmed shrimp can be found here