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| Tony's Florentine Style Stuffed Shrimp - oven ready. |
What Makes Shrimp Great?
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| Tony's Shrimp Ceviche - Here's a recipe |
Blind Tasting
When we choose shrimp at Tony's, we do so in blind side-by-side taste tests (no, we don't wear blindfolds!) Side-by-side tasting without knowing which is which reveals a lot more than you can imagine (and it's a lot of fun!)
Great shrimp at the table is a culmination of the right species and great handling. There are a lot of great species in the waters around the US. As for handling; proper harvesting, quick icing and delicate processing are crucial factors in quality. Avoid shrimp treated with chemicals (to preserve and increase water retention), and pre-brined shrimp (to increase weight and improve the palatability of lower quality shrimp). While these are pretty common, we will not buy any 'treated' or 'enhanced' shrimp at Tony's.
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| Some crazy looking prawns that I ate in Hong Kong, at least I think they were prawns! No menu, just point at what you want from dozens of live tanks and they cook them for you. |
Is it a Shrimp or a Prawn?
Shrimp and prawns are related, but part of different suborders. While the terms are often used interchangeably and the meanings seem to vary by country, essentially Shrimp are from marine (salt) water while Prawns are from fresh water, and either can be found in brackish waters. In the UK, the term prawns is used more often then shrimp, and in the US, the biggest shrimp are often called prawns. From a taste perspective, I find that shrimp generally have a better texture and flavor than prawns, but I will forever keep tasting!
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| Ebi Furai (Fried Shrimp) in Japan, the ultimate fried shrimp - Here's a Recipe |
US and Central American Shrimp is King!
I've been lucky enough to eat shrimp on three continents and there is no question that shrimp from the America's is the finest. I feel sorry for shrimp lovers in Europe (unless they can get shrimp from the America's), shrimp was pretty disappointing there. Asia was better, particularly when ordering live shrimp from tanks in China and Thailand, and everything I had in Japan - but in my opinion, none of them could compare to the best species in the US.
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| White Vannamei Shrimp from the America's - Available seasonally at Tony's |
Gulf and Louisiana Shrimp
There is no doubt that shrimping has been hampered in the Gulf of Mexico since the oil spill, creating shortages and higher prices. Understandably, most Gulf shrimp is devoured fresh by locals. We love the delicious shrimp of Louisiana, but it's rarely frozen and the shelf life is VERY short so we don't keep it in stock - but we can special order it fresh from Louisiana in season! Just ask!
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Royal Red Florida Shrimp
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| Florida Rock Shrimp |
Florida Shrimp
Some of the world's finest shrimp come from the waters around Florida. We've proudly been buying Florida Shrimp direct from the docks for years now, but we've had a very hard time since the Gulf oil disaster. A shrimp's lifecycle is about a year, and they're resilient so we'll continue to try and locate them with every new season. Read more about the 6 species of Florida Shrimp we love so dearly.
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| New Gulf of California Peeled White Shrimp |
Only at Tony’s
Wild Peeled and Deveined Shrimp
Finally! We've never been able to offer wild peeled and deveined shrimp - until now! As of this month (Feb, 2012), all our Peeled and Deveined Raw Shrimp are wild whites from the Gulf of California, and unlike most of the Asian shrimp that dominates the market, they’re not brined or treated with chemicals. They’re better in every way, and they’re only at Tony’s Market!
Exclusive to Tony's Markets and a few high end local restaurants! These shrimp are a blend of White (Litopenaeus Vannamei) and Blue (Litopenaeus Stylirostris) shrimp and they're taste and texture is second to none!
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| Scampi Style Shrimp - Get the Recipe Here |
Only at Tony's
Fisherman's Daughter Shrimp
Super premium white Vannamei shrimp As the story goes, the daughter of a fisherman in Baja California learned how damaging shrimping was and confronted her dad about it - he was so moved he figured out a new way to shrimp - new lighter nets that change water flow patterns and incorporate by-catch reduction devices. It works - by-catch is reduced by a factor of 3. They do tend to catch less shrimp, but they also have far less by-catch, use 30% less fuel, and at the same time they get a better, firmer shrimp - it's a win-win situation. Watch the video below - it's 8 minutes well spent! Available at Tony's!
Only at Tony's
Fresh Laughing Bird
Shrimp
We also proudly offer sustainably farm-raised White Vannamei shrimp from Costa Rica, a country with a long history of progressive approaches to the issues of bio-diversity, eco-systems, and socio-economic management. The folks at Laughing Bird Shrimp of Costa Rica have solved
these problems and are delivering us delicious white shrimp without the
environmental baggage - and they’re only available locally at Tony’s Markets! See the video below.
Shrimp Sizing Chart
About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area. Mick also teaches cooking on Denver’s Channel 7 News and Dig In, a local gardening show on FOX. For more recipes and our very best deals, visit www.TonysMarket.com and join the Culinary Club.
This shrimp-sizing chart is to be used for buying frozen or
fresh Shrimp
in the shell without the head on.
Market/Trade Name
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Shrimp count (number)
per pound
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Average shrimp per pound
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Extra Colossal
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U10
|
5
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Colossal
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U12
|
9
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Colossal
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U15
|
14
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Extra Jumbo
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16/20
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18
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Jumbo
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21/25
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23
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Extra Large
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26/30
|
28
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Large
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31/35
|
33
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Medium Large
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36/40
|
38
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Medium
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41/50
|
45
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Small
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51/60
|
55
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Extra Small
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61/70
|
65
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