Island Features

Island Cooking: Shrimp boats is a comin’ and there’s dancin’ tonight

By LYNNE FOSTER

Everyone loves shrimp. It is America’s number one seafood choice. In fact, the annual consumption per person in this country is 4.1 pounds. But many people have no idea just what it is they are eating. “You’ve been tricked,” proclaims the campaign for Wild American Shrimp, an organization dedicated to the promotion of wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf and the South Atlantic Coasts. Their motto is “Wild American Shrimp: The shrimp you thought you were eating.” While a staggering 85 percent of the shrimp consumed in the U.S. is being scooped out of a pond somewhere far away where oversight is negligible at best (You don’t want to see the photos and you don’t want to know what is in the water.) or pulled from foreign waters and loaded onto a container ship, American workers are rapidly being forced out of business and fishing communities are having to abandon generations of tradition. Many of these communities and families are being broken up as watermen are forced to leave in search of other family income sources. Why? Because they are not able to compete with the rock-bottom prices of shrimp farmed or harvested where labor is cheap and where there is a lack of stifling American regulations that give the edge to foreign competition. Health issues abound, too. Yes, seafood is generally a healthful choice but much of what is being offered from abroad can be dangerous to the U. S. consumer. Wild American shrimp, taken from its natural environment, meets environmental and food regulation standards and is certified to assure quality. Yet, many consumers, even here within sight of some of the nation’s most prolific shrimping (and fishing) grounds, are regularly eating imported seafood. Have we become so accustomed to bland and tasteless “generic” food that we cannot appreciate flavor? Is price so important that we are willing to sacrifice American jobs and American family life for the sake of a few dollars? There is a growing movement all across this country that supports local food producers and seasonal eating habits. From heirloom apples and tomatoes to boutique butter and cheese to family farm-raised meat and poultry, professional chefs, diners, and home cooks alike are making careful selections based on quality, flavor and freshness. And they are willing to pay a little more for it. So, why not here? Why not seafood? Why are even some of us residents making poor choices? One problem is a lack of labeling standards that allow, in other places, the consumer to easily identify and choose local products. Many of our visitors come from places where there is an emphasis on high quality food products. Why are we not catering to them? Well, some of us are, and we are finding a ready, even eager, market. It may take a little bit of education, but many consumers have been converted. One example is Hatteras Harbor Deli, where Jennifer Scarborough and her family sell only what is caught locally. Customers regularly ask for crab cakes and tuna salad, both real American staples available all the time everywhere in this country. But this summer crabs and tuna were not abundant around here. They offered substitutions based on the fresh species they could get and people loved them. In fact, they have sold more of these fish cakes and fish salad than they would have sold with the usual tuna salad and crab cakes! There are other examples of successful marketing of local, fresh, seasonal, wild-caught seafood. I will do my best to introduce them in other columns and I urge you to support these local family-run businesses as they support their local watermen. Rant over. Let’s eat. Susan West wrote early in the season of a forecast for good shrimping in the Pamlico Sound again this year and the prediction has proven correct. Shrimpers were regularly coming into Hatteras and Ocracoke, loaded with shrimp caught just within 10 miles of our shores. They are now unloading greentail shrimp in Wanchese and immediately trucking them down to the islands. The shrimp is, as we say here, “pretty!” Be sure to ask for it in the seafood markets and restaurants. Roger-Roger, an old friend who used to spend a lot of time in Hatteras, taught me a simple trick for steaming shrimp.

ROGER-ROGER’S SHRIMP

For pure shrimp flavor place the raw shrimp (shells on) in a dry pot with no seasoning. Cook on medium heat, shaking or stirring the pot, until the shrimp gives off its own liquid. This will happen quickly so don’t leave the stove. Steam the shrimp in its own juices until it turns pink. Again, this won’t take long. Remove from heat and immediately toss with Old Bay, grated lemon peel, and celery seed. Eat warm or chilled. If you cook enough, you can do both! The chilled shrimp can be then served as a cold salad on good lettuce with sliced mango, papaya, or other tropical fruits and citrusy vinaigrette. CITRUSY VINAIGRETTE 6 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil (The delicate oils from the south of France and the Italian Riviera are best with this salad.) 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed citrus juice. Try tangerine for a change. Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste 1 garlic clove, finely diced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Combine all ingredients. Local shrimp is so good you don’t need to slather it in cocktail sauce, but if you really like sauce, combine the following ingredients to suit your taste and heat tolerance: COCKTAIL SAUCE FOR SEAFOOD Texas Pete (or other hot sauce) Prepared ketchup (preferably Heinz) Fresh horseradish or prepared horseradish (not the creamy sauce) Worcestershire sauce Fresh squeezed lemon juice The best thing to do is just mix, taste, and adjust. You can even put some in a glass of tomato juice and vodka! My favorite recipe for shrimp is a North Carolina classic. It is also a traditional breakfast for neighboring South Carolina’s Low Country watermen. A wonderful brunch dish, for certain, but don’t limit yourself to morning. It is good enough and hearty enough for any meal. Bill Neal was a noted chef, restaurateur, and writer at the heart of the American regional food movement. Neal brought a unique style to southern cooking and elevated southern regional food to national status from his restaurant, Crook’s Corner, in Chapel Hill. There are now many excellent cookbooks that celebrate southern cuisine, but “Remembering Bill Neal,” published by UNC Press and written by his wife, Moreton Neal, is part cookbook, part memoir and a pure joy to read. His recipe for shrimp and grits is included in this book. According to Moreton Neal, “The combination was pretty much a specialty outside the Low Country before it first appeared on Crook’s menu in the mid-1980s.” It became Bill’s most famous recipe. Anyone who enjoyed it during the ‘80s at Crook’s Corner will be happy to reproduce it at home, and once you serve it, this shrimp and grits may well become your most famous recipe too!
BILL NEAL’S SHRIMP AND GRITS 1 recipe cheese grits (below) 1 pound fresh local shrimp 5 slices bacon Peanut oil 2 cups sliced white button mushrooms 1 cup minced scallions 1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Tabasco sauce Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Prepare the grits and hold in a warm place or on top of a double boiler over simmering water. Peel the shrimp, rinse and pat dry. Dice the bacon and sauté lightly in skillet until edges of bacon are brown, but bacon is not crisp. Remove bacon from heat and drain on paper towels, then crumble. Add enough peanut oil to make a layer of fat about 1/8 inch thick. When the oil is quite hot, add shrimp in an even layer. Turn the shrimp as they color; add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring, for about 4 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic. Heat and stir for about 1 minute more. Season with lemon juice, a dash or two of Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste, and parsley. Divide the grits among 4 plates. Spoon the shrimp over, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and serve immediately. CHEESE GRITS 1 cup stone ground or quick grits (not instant). I like an organic North Carolina stone ground product from Anson Mills, available online, but the more readily available Jim Dandy Quick Grits is fine, just not as “corny” tasting. 4 cups water (or milk for creamier grits) 1 cup cheddar cheese 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I recommend you do not use the green box cheese but grate it yourself.) 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon white pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce Cook the grits according to package instructions for 1 cup dry grits and then turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until just mixed and serve. For information on wild shrimp straight from American shrimpers and for delicious recipes from renowned chefs visit www.wildamericanshrimp.com

(Lynne Foster lives in Hatteras village with her husband, Ernie. Together they operate The Albatross Fleet of charter boats. They actively support the sustainable practices of the island’s commercial fishermen and the preservation of Hatteras Island’s working waterfront. Both love to cook seafood and entertain friends, and Lynne loves to experiment with recipes for locally caught seafood.)