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Shrimp 



A Favorite Catch 



A 



By Joyce Taylor 



.sk most people to name their favorite 

 seafood, and chances are they'll answer "shrimp." This 

 tasty crustacean is the most popular seafood in the nation. 



But this has not always been the case. Until the late 

 1920s, fishermen thought of shrimp as pests that fouled 

 their nets and they threw them aside. John Maiolo, a retired 

 sociology professor from East Carolina University reports: 

 "North Carolina fishermen were paid about three cents 

 a pound for their catches. Others were paid five cents a 

 bucket to head them." 



Back then, people often called shrimp "bugs." Many 

 of the Nutrition Leaders remember calling them that, and 

 pitching them back in the water when caught. Even today, 

 many fishers going out after the valuable catch will say 

 that they are "going bugging." 



Brown, pink and white shrimp, "local" to us, are 

 found along the southeast U.S. coast and in the Gulf of 

 Mexico. Shrimpers catch these favorites in large mesh nets. 

 Many of the shrimp you buy in restaurants and super- 

 markets are imported from Asian countries. And many of 

 them are cultivated in ponds, which makes a steady supply 

 available. Shrimp are low in calories and fat, and high in 

 protein. They contain a moderate amount of cholesterol, 

 depending on the species. 



Markets price shrimp according to size, based on 

 the number of headless shrimp per pound. Counts are not 

 always uniform, but generally jumbo shrimp contain about 

 21 to 25 per pound; large, 31 to 40; medium, 41 to 50; and 

 small, 51 to 60. You will see some labeled "jumbo" and 

 "colossal." There are no official standards for labeling the 

 sizes, and different markets may use different terms. 



Generally, shrimp drop one count in shelling and an- 

 other in cooking. After peeling and cooking, raw, headless 

 shrimp will yield about three-fourths their weight. 



I'm often asked if it's more economical to buy shrimp 

 with the heads on. To determine this, you need to calculate 

 what the headed price is. If heads-on shrimp are below 40 

 count, divide the price by .63. If they are above 40 count, 

 divide by .55. For example, if large shrimp with heads on 



Continued 



26 HIGH SEASON 2004 



