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Brand new: "Shrimp Steaks"

markk

By markk
in Kitchen Consumer

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markk

markk

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Today at my local supermarket (to stay unnamed) there were reps from the manufacturer of a brand new product called "Shrimp Steaks". Apparently this is a 100% natural product (only ingredient: shrimp) which is made from Mexican shrimp which are shelled and butterflied, and then stood on end and wrapped around each other in a pinwheel; they're about an inch high (the height of a butterflied shrimp stood on its side), and 4 (maybe 5) inches in diamater, and are solid shrimp, and I think the total weight of the product is 6 or 7 ounces (they're selling for $5.99 each), and the fellow hawking them said that they're a "big hit" at Cheesecake Factory and 'on all the major cruise lines'. He also named some major steak house chain that serves them, and showed photos of them served atop a Fillet Mignon as "surf and turf".

Googling them got me nowhere. Has anybody else encountered these?

There was one guy cooking them up in an electric skillet, and when they were done he put them on a cutting board and cut them into bite-size pieces. The guy doing the hawking, who was wearing a chef's jacket, had his hands in his pants pockets, and then took them out of his pockets, and without donning a glove, grabbed a half of a lemon with one hand, and with the forefinger of the other hand poked it into the cut lemon, picked around for the pits, and then juiced it with the finger against the lemon over the warm cooked product; I was grossed out, personally.

But I'm curious about the product, called "Shrimp Steaks", which is apparently brand new, and will soon sell two-to-a-box, frozen. Does anybody know anything about them?

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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markk

markk

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I don't know!

The fellow hawking them was adamant about the fact that they're 100% natural.

But I really couldn't get an answer if that meant that they were suflite-free shrimp, and I don't know if there was any substance used as "glue" - I had been thinking that it could have been this all-natural "protein-glue" that was discussed at tremendous length here with regard to the WD-50 "shrimp noodles" (invented by the Japanese firm that invented MSG)... or, it could simply be that the shrimp, after they're shelled and butterflied, are dried off and naturally stick to each other, at least until they're frozen into the sprial. The demonstrators were not offering a lot of answers!

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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Fat Guy

Fat Guy

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You may have better luck with a Google search for ShrimpSteak, one word. The relevant results seem to be in Spanish, though.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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mizducky

mizducky

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Well..... seeing as I am crawfish poor and shrimp (big un's too) rich, I would love to take a pass at this. I'll try em naeked first, see if they stick. Could I have a picture to go on?

How about this?

No new revelations on the construction of these li'l shrimpy hockey-pucks though. Now my interest is piqued, so I'll give it another go.

Edited to add: there is a shrimpsteak.com, but it seems to be broken. :hmmm:

Edited by mizducky (log)

Ellen Terris Brenner

Examiner.com: San Diego Budget Meals Examiner

eG Foodblogs: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

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highchef

highchef

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Well..... seeing as I am crawfish poor and shrimp (big un's too) rich, I would love to take a pass at this. I'll try em naeked first, see if they stick. Could I have a picture to go on?

How about this?

No new revelations on the construction of these li'l shrimpy hockey-pucks though. Now my interest is piqued, so I'll give it another go.

Edited to add: there is a shrimpsteak.com, but it seems to be broken. :hmmm:

that link is a dead end for me...after the zipcode it just tells me 'sorry, we're not available in your area'. I figure this is a wholesaler?

So, they look like hocky pucks. Do they have skewers through them? like you'd hold a sausage wheel together?

What are they charging for this?

Why is a good question....to cook a serving in one piece? Looks? freezer storage??? I don't read Japanese, but I'll google it anyway.

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Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

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Re the Fresh Direct link (above): It is a grocery delivery service based in NYC. After you enter your zip code it doesn't deliver to, you can still check out their products by clicking the shop for pickup link towards the bottom of the subsequent page.

Now, for a real shrimp steak... Check out these babies:

gallery_2_2290_73181.jpg

These are the Colossal Coconut Shrimp at Seafood Gourmet in Maywood, NJ. Two of these babies could be a meal.

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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For the Freshdirect link, be sure to type in "10010" (Manhattan, NYC) as the zipcode to see a picture of the Shrimpsteaks.

http://www.freshdirect.com/product.jsp?pro...h_burg&trk=srch

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Actually, I could see the utility of a shrimpsteak, especially if you chicken fried it and put it on a sandwich.

Provided the shrimps arent stuck together with some strange chemical substance and they are just using "shrimp glue" alginate or something natural I don't see huge problems with it. The applications could be interesting.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Anna N

Anna N

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Actually, I could see the utility of a shrimpsteak, especially if you chicken fried it and put it on a sandwich.

Provided the shrimps arent stuck together with some strange chemical substance and they are just using "shrimp glue" alginate or something natural I don't see huge problems with it. The applications could be interesting.

According to the website (above) the ingredients are "shrimp tails" - nothing more.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Dana329

Dana329

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They had these a few weeks ago at my SHoprite. Tasted good, they apparently added garlic and lemon and were not over cooked. No decernible taste of a "glue". When he cut them they fell apart, so maybe its just the shrimp juices under pressure? WHo knows but I couldn't see the use of them packed this way. However, that shrimp sandwich sounds good, Jason.

Dana

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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According to the website (above) the ingredients are "shrimp tails" - nothing more.

Yeah, I thought that was pretty weird.

Well when you pull the heads off, and the legs, all you got left of a shrimp is the tail.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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jhlurie

jhlurie

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Actually, I could see the utility of a shrimpsteak, especially if you chicken fried it and put it on a sandwich.

Provided the shrimps arent stuck together with some strange chemical substance and they are just using "shrimp glue" alginate or something natural I don't see huge problems with it. The applications could be interesting.

Shrimp glue? Wouldn't it be shrimp paste? :laugh:

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

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mizducky

mizducky

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I think it's an attempt by Mexican shrimp producers to achieve even further leverage into the US casual-food market. Cheap shrimp have definitely made a big impression on the TJ McFunsters(tm Bourdain) tier of restaurants, but a burger-shaped shrimp product would really take off in that segment IMO. I can just hear the dippy Applebee's commercial for it right now.

Ellen Terris Brenner

Examiner.com: San Diego Budget Meals Examiner

eG Foodblogs: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

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moosnsqrl

moosnsqrl

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I think it's an attempt by Mexican shrimp producers to achieve even further leverage into the US casual-food market. Cheap shrimp have definitely made a big impression on the TJ McFunsters(tm Bourdain) tier of restaurants, but a burger-shaped shrimp product would really take off in that segment IMO. I can just hear the dippy Applebee's commercial for it right now.

I'm going to spend my drive home tonight trying to come up with one just in case. Maybe we can have a jingle contest? First prize wins one McShrimpSteak, second prize wins two. . .

Judy Jones aka "moosnsqrl"

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M.F.K. Fisher

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moosnsqrl

moosnsqrl

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Well, it says the tails are butterflied so maybe they're, uh, braided together??

Now there's an interesting food career: shrimp braider :wink:

Judy Jones aka "moosnsqrl"

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M.F.K. Fisher

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Genny

Genny

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Actually, while in Mexico we had a "shrimp mingnon" for dinner at one place. It was a riff off of filet mignon, wrapped with bacon and had a bernaise sauce on it. Don't knock it! My husband has been asking me how do do this application at home, now I know!

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