Shrimp Boats have arrived in Nebraska...

Okay...so the shrimp came by UPS air, but that didn't sound as exciting as Shrimp Boats arriving in Nebraska. Although if you would have seen me waiting by the door for the UPS truck this morning,you would have thought I had won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes!

When the man in brown walked up to the door with that white cooler my heart started to beat faster. Those of you from the South that are displaced elsewhere get it; those of you from everywhere else may be confused.

Southerners love their food & connect it to most everything else in their lives. We don't eat to live, we live to eat. Now that doesn't mean we can't wait to get up & eat that bowl of oatmeal. I've never stood by the fridge waiting for a head of lettuce to make it's appearance! Now if that lettuce is going on a grilled burger with guacamole & smokey chipotles...we might get a little more excited.

I was lucky enough to live on the Gulf coast of Texas for a few years & learned to eat lots of kinds of seafood. My favorite thing in the world was going to the shrimp boats to buy my shrimp fresh. There is nothing in the world like the taste of fresh Gulf shrimp!

When I received this gift of home today, it almost brought tears to my eyes just looking at the outside of the cooler. Sexton's Fresh Shrimp Destin, Florida is sitting on my kitchen table & I know the best shrimp in the world is only some packing tape away!

These shrimp are huge! Shrimp are classified by number of shrimp per pound. The shrimp you get at the chain (think Red..) seafood restaurants are about 26-30 count at the best. That means there are 26 to 30 shrimp in a pound. Boiled or cocktail shrimp are usually 41-50 count. This website has lots of great information on shrimp, check it out
http://whatscookingamerica.net/ShrimpTips.htm


The shrimp resting in my fridge are 10 count. The extra blessing is they are head on!

Yes, we want the heads when we boil or saute shell-on shrimp, just not when we fry a shrimp. If you have heads on shrimp & want to fry them, save the heads & shells for making shrimp stock or gumbo. The head has lots of flavor & fat that will just blow you away when used in stock.

I am making "Barbeque Shrimp" tonight from the cookbook "If You Can't Stand The Heat" by Robert Medina. I'll let you know tomorrow if I survived without going into a shrimp coma. If you have eaten BBQ shrimp, you know there is no grill involved. It takes a bath in butter & oil with other goodies thrown in. The sauce is just begging to be dipped. The crusty french bread is patiently waiting for it's swim!!!!