Wild Red Shrimp are more popular than ever. We like them cold as an aperitif or grilled on the barbecue. From an occasional luxury product, they have almost become an inexpensive staple. Every shrimp trader strives to produce the highest quality of this product. You can buy this product at a very reasonable price.
How to Choose Wild Red Shrimp?
Although there are more than two thousand species of shrimp, the reality in grocery stores is quite different. Basically, there are only three choices: wild northern shrimp, white shrimp and farmed tiger shrimp, available in various sizes and presentations.
This small prawn lives in the cold waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence estuary. Nicknamed Matane shrimp (because the first processing plant was located in Matane), this shrimp is always sold cooked, frozen or thawed. In the spring, with a bit of luck, it is also found fresh, cooked, unhulled. A real delight to eat with your fingers! Nordic shrimp have the advantage of containing more omega 3 fats (good for health) and proteins than farmed shrimp. In addition, it is not treated with sodium phosphate (the additive used for farmed shrimp) and is considered a sustainable fishing choice. So many good reasons to choose it more often.
This shrimp, of variable size and presentation (raw, cooked, shelled, unshelled, with tail, without tail) is sold frozen or thawed and is the variety found overwhelmingly in grocery stores and fishmongers. Mostly imported from China, Thailand, India or Bangladesh, these shrimp are produced by aquaculture. In order to protect their color and texture, they are treated with sodium phosphates, a family of additives which react with the shrimp proteins so that the shrimp loses less water during thawing and cooking. This treatment also gives them a sometimes metallic taste and a translucent appearance.
Black tiger shrimp, a little less present in grocery stores, is the most consumed after white shrimp. It is also the largest of all commercial shrimp. We recognize it by its large size and its striped shell prawns. Plump, this shrimp is perfect for cooking on skewers and on the barbecue.
Do not look for fresh shrimp! Unless you live by the sea or the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is almost impossible to get prawns that have never been frozen: they are very perishable. Whether raw or cooked, even the seemingly “fresh” shrimp sold on ice in fishmonger’s displays are frozen shrimp that have been thawed. Use the shrimp thawed within 24 hours of purchase. If you buy frozen shrimp, choose a package that does not contain frost. The presence of frost indicates that the product has experienced temperature variations and that the shrimp have lost water by evaporation. Such shrimp are still edible, but their texture will not be optimal, and the shrimp may show signs of cold burns. There are two ways to safely thaw shrimp: a slow technique, which is to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and a quick technique, which is to put the shrimp in a bowl of cold tap water.
It’s a matter of taste and use. In any case, the bottom line is that heat is the number one enemy of shrimp in the kitchen. Cooked too long, it loses weight and volume and becomes hard like rubber. If you plan to barbecue shrimp kebabs, prefer to
Wild Red Shrimp Costs for Export
The American chain Red Lobster alone uses 44 million pounds of shrimp annually. In 2006, Americans consumed 1.3 billion pounds of wild red shrimp recipes. All shrimp are classified by size. This is indicated by a range of numbers (e.g. 8-12, 16-20, 21-25, 41-50 up to 150-200) on the front of the package. These figures indicate the number of shrimp per pound (454 g). For example, 21-25 means there are between 21 and 25 shrimp per pound. The smaller the numbers, the larger the shrimp. This is handy when calculating the number of shrimp required per serving or to serve a given number of guests. Shrimp export prices are set in the market. Contact us to inquire about the price of this product in Iran.
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