rinemb - Posted - 06/22/2026:  08:22:21

I like shrimp for eating and for bait. My wife love's shrimp! But its the eating shrimp we are so often disappointed with in the Southern Midwest-Kansas. I am not sure if shrimp laying on ice in our meat departments were never frozen and shipped on ice, or frozen or flash frozen to ship, then thawed for presentation on the ice beds?
Sometimes we find those not much better than the "fresh caught" bagged raw frozen shrimp.
> We are thinking about a trip to some coast or to some country just to enjoy fresh off the boat shrimp. Any time on the coast is welcome, but good shrimp (and fresh fish as well) is the bonus. Where should we go?
Brad

Owen - Posted - 06/22/2026:  08:25:43

I have my doubts re. shrimp, but these guys facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577516731382 can fix you up with fresh fish. 

Texican65 - Posted - 06/22/2026:  10:32:31

Dunno where to go for fresh shrimp anywhere anymore. I’d say down to some Louisiana bayou or the Gulf….but that BP oil spill wrecked all of that several years ago, didn’t it?

My favorite chef was Justin Wilson. Remember him? “Oooooweeee dat’s goooood I garontee!” The old Cajun cook that used to be on TV.

I have one of his cook books..and this is my fav shrimp recipe from it. Try it!

Jon Borcherding - Posted - 06/22/2026:  12:04:25

Aw... C'mon! Your shrimp are fine. They're just suffering from butter and garlic deficiency!
I swear, if you put enough butter and garlic on 'em, people would eat snails!
Oh... wait...
nevermind.

Jon Borcherding - Posted - 06/22/2026:  12:11:46

Seriously... (sorta) WA has some good shrimp but the shrimp season turns into a bumper boat, pirate event with a bunch of old guys sitting around in boats drinking beer all day and robbing each other's shrimp pots. At least it gives them a break from the crabbing season when a bunch of old guys sit around in boats drinking beer all day and rob each other's crab pots.

WA Spotted Shrimp season

carlb - Posted - 06/22/2026:  12:16:04

My favorite is Argentinian red shrimp.

reubenstump - Posted - 06/22/2026:  12:59:35

Go to Breaux Bridge or maybe Lafayette LA. Shrimp are largely harvested in the Gulf of Mexico. If you're up to it find a dinky little town behind a levee. Get the wild caught, none of that farm raised crap, on ice fresh from the morning runs.

Better yet, go in the spring for the crawfish festivals!

Bonus 1 - the McIlhenny Tabasco Company is in the area. The tour is worth it as is the hike around the grounds. Depending on the time of year birds may be resting at the sanctuary on their northern and southern migrations.

Bonus 2 - Konriko Rice Company, also in the area. Oldest rice mill (not grower) in the country. Watch the film (types of rice, etc.) tour the operation. The equipment came from Europe after WWII and ran on steam, was later converted to electricity.

BanjoLink - Posted - 06/22/2026:  13:50:39

Just got home from my daughter and wife's lake house in the middle part of the state. Saturday my wife's nephew, who has a house on the same lake and a "low country (as in South Carolina) boil" ....... large shrimp, sausage, corn, onions, garlic, potatoes (whole). The shrimp were really good and they had been de-veined, so that made them a lot faster to eat. The shrimp, I think, came from Publix, so they may have been previously frozen, but you sure could not tell it.

rinemb - Posted - 06/22/2026:  14:17:49

quote:

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Originally posted by reubenstump

Go to Breaux Bridge or maybe Lafayette LA. Shrimp are largely harvested in the Gulf of Mexico. If you're up to it find a dinky little town behind a levee. Get the wild caught, none of that farm raised crap, on ice fresh from the morning runs.



Better yet, go in the spring for the crawfish festivals!



Bonus 1 - the McIlhenny Tabasco Company is in the area. The tour is worth it as is the hike around the grounds. Depending on the time of year birds may be resting at the sanctuary on their northern and southern migrations.



Bonus 2 - Konriko Rice Company, also in the area. Oldest rice mill (not grower) in the country. Watch the film (types of rice, etc.) tour the operation. The equipment came from Europe after WWII and ran on steam, was later converted to electricity.

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We used to visit New Orleans, and ate our share of mudbugs.  (Here in Kansas the crawdads were only good for bait) With plenty of tobasco sauce.  And po boys etc.  I still buy Carolina rice and grits products in cotton bags.  

...we used to have a traditional Cajun band up here. No use for a banjo so I played triangle and some bass.  Reluctantly we tossed in a bit of zydeco music, for audience pleasure. I never made it up into true Acadian country, but our fiddle and Cajun accordance player went there often. Brad

slammer - Posted - 06/22/2026:  18:36:59

Shrimp used to be our favorite special meal (Shrimp de Jonghe).
I can’t find a shrimp that tastes worth a damn anymore. Flavorless and probably farm raised in Indonesia. Tried many different kinds and the all suck.
I think I’m gonna have to order online and pay for shipping. I’m perfectly fine with frozen/flash frozen. There was a restaurant in town (high end) that had great tasting shrimp, and the place burnt down. They are rebuilding and open soon. Maybe I’ll ask them if I could order some through them. Until then, no shrimp for this guy!!!
Slammer!!!

eagleisland - Posted - 06/22/2026:  19:27:30

Shrimp are HIGHLY perishable. You need a high-volume, high-end fishmonger to get fresh ones anywhere they're not wild caught.

Another thing about shrimp: there are bazillions of species. There used to be small red shrimp caught along the coast of Maine, but they're now in such small quantities that there's no legal season for them. Cooked, they're rather soft and mealy - but they make a splendid bisque or sauce. Nowadays, the same species is caught further north, but they're usually frozen shortly after landing - as mentioned, shrimp are highly perishable.

Around these parts - Cape Cod - almost all shrimp come in frozen and are thawed for sale. Once in a while, my favorite fish market - high volume, high-end - gets in fresh gulf shrimp. But most of the shrimp purchased around here is from a long, long way away.

Fact is that most of the shrimp sold in the US is farm raised - often in Asia, under less-than-optimal sanitary conditions - then harvested, frozen and sold.

Caveat emptor. Know your fishmonger.

rinemb - Posted - 06/23/2026:  06:13:26

In our big stores, the frozen shrimp bags come in a variety of sizes, preparation, and raw or cooked. They also have them as "wild caught" and "farm raised". I wonder how regulated and monitored the use of those terms are? Brad

Owen - Posted - 06/23/2026:  06:33:06

I'm just glad they tell me the wild ones have been caught .... I sure as hello wouldn't want to be eating uncaught wild ones.   

Now back to regular programming.

banjo bill-e - Posted - 06/23/2026:  06:49:43

From the Gulf, off of the boat by the bag, heads on, pay cash to the ones who caught them, were in the saltwater last night and on the grill today!

steve davis - Posted - 06/23/2026:  07:37:46

Our Maine shrimp boats were met at the wharf at the end of the day by big and small trucks refrigerated or packed in ice.
As with lobsters shrimp are very perishable and best eaten within hours after being caught.
A very popular way was equipping the boats with cookers and offering them already cooked when they came in to the wharf.
Hard work.
These days shrimping is gone for us and handled by Canada.
These shrimp have a lot of flavor.

rinemb - Posted - 06/23/2026:  08:29:00

quote:

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Originally posted by steve davis

Our Maine shrimp boats were met at the wharf at the end of the day by big and small trucks refrigerated or packed in ice.

As with lobsters shrimp are very perishable and best eaten within hours after being caught.

A very popular way was equipping the boats with cookers and offering them already cooked when they came in to the wharf.

Hard work.

These days shrimping is gone for us and handled by Canada.

These shrimp have a lot of flavor.

---

1935tb-11 - Posted - 06/23/2026:  08:55:26

when we use to go vacation to southport we would catch some boats coming in and buy some as soon as they unloaded.. there was this old woman that worked at one of the fish houses that always picked thru them and gave us nice ones.... . boil and butter or skew and grill either way its delightful !!!!!!!

BanjoLink - Posted - 06/23/2026:  09:04:19

quote:

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Originally posted by 1935tb-11

when we use to go vacation to southport we would catch some boats coming in and buy some as soon as they unloaded.. there was this old woman that worked at one of the fish houses that always picked thru them and gave us nice ones.... . boil and butter or skew and grill either way its delightful !!!!!!!

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We would do the same thing when my brother-in-law had a house at Holden Beach .... right next to Southport.  Hard to beat getting them right off the boat.  We also do the same thing when around Hilton Head and Beaufort.

1935tb-11 - Posted - 06/23/2026:  13:13:02

quote:

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Originally posted by BanjoLink

quote:

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Originally posted by 1935tb-11

when we use to go vacation to southport we would catch some boats coming in and buy some as soon as they unloaded.. there was this old woman that worked at one of the fish houses that always picked thru them and gave us nice ones.... . boil and butter or skew and grill either way its delightful !!!!!!!

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We would do the same thing when my brother-in-law had a house at Holden Beach .... right next to Southport.  Hard to beat getting them right off the boat.  We also do the same thing when around Hilton Head and Beaufort.

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you ever been to chesapeake and caught blue crabs with chicken legs and throw them in a bucket,, get a couple of 5 gallon  buckets full and take them back and throw them in the cook pot ?    that is some good eating too brother !!!!

RonR - Posted - 06/27/2026:  13:53:55

When the Chesapeake Blue crabs shed, the whole crab is cleaned of gills and guts and fried . They taste pretty good.

 

STUD figmo Al - Posted - 06/27/2026:  17:56:29

quote:

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Originally posted by 1935tb-11

quote:

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Originally posted by BanjoLink

quote:

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Originally posted by 1935tb-11

when we use to go vacation to southport we would catch some boats coming in and buy some as soon as they unloaded.. there was this old woman that worked at one of the fish houses that always picked thru them and gave us nice ones.... . boil and butter or skew and grill either way its delightful !!!!!!!

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We would do the same thing when my brother-in-law had a house at Holden Beach .... right next to Southport.  Hard to beat getting them right off the boat.  We also do the same thing when around Hilton Head and Beaufort.

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you ever been to chesapeake and caught blue crabs with chicken legs and throw them in a bucket,, get a couple of 5 gallon  buckets full and take them back and throw them in the cook pot ?    that is some good eating too brother !!!!

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Flash light at night on the docks.. shine the polls n have a net..

Or.38 special... ;0)

rinemb - Posted - 06/27/2026:  20:07:13

quote:

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Originally posted by RonR

When the Chesapeake Blue crabs shed, the whole crab is cleaned of gills and guts and fried . They taste pretty good.

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While on trips to Philadelphia I could not get enough fried soft shell crab sandwiches.  Sadly now, I have not been there for many years.

eagleisland - Posted - 06/28/2026:  05:12:54

quote:

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Originally posted by rinemb

quote:

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Originally posted by RonR

When the Chesapeake Blue crabs shed, the whole crab is cleaned of gills and guts and fried . They taste pretty good.

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While on trips to Philadelphia I could not get enough fried soft shell crab sandwiches.  Sadly now, I have not been there for many years.

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Softshells actually freeze fairly well, and can be ordered that way. Roll yer own sammiches!

steve davis - Posted - 06/28/2026:  10:15:12

Shrimp were gone from here for 20 years and started showing up again in the late 60s.
My Dad and Erlin Eugley were the first to peddle shrimp outside of Maine back then.
Dad was a draggerman and caught his own to peddle.

BanjoLink - Posted - 06/28/2026:  14:03:58

quote:

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Originally posted by RonR

When the Chesapeake Blue crabs shed, the whole crab is cleaned of gills and guts and fried . They taste pretty good.

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Soft shell crabs ...... only available a certain time of year, but can be frozen (not as good though).  I love them!  I used to order them at The Tides Inn, a hotel I used to stay out when working on a golf course owned by the Inn ...... on the Rappahannock River in the northern neck of Virginia.

reubenstump - Posted - 06/28/2026:  15:12:20

I'm somewhat ashamed to say that, despite living my entire life in The Land of Pleasant Living, I've never eaten a soft shell crab, whether in a sandwich or otherwise prepared.

With the legs hanging out the sides of the sandwich I can only imagine Alien grabbing me, injecting its multitiered jaws down my throat, sucking out my vital organs and life essence while I tremble, spasm, and die a horrific death of prolonged and unmitigated terror, then hanging my carcass in the engine room as a trophy.

There are no doubt multiple fine purveyors in my area who are quite willing to charge me outrageous amounts of federal currency for this alleged nutritional delicacy, whether I enjoy it or not, but I don't know where to go for a "good" one.

RonR - Posted - 06/28/2026:  18:38:29

I sailed the Rappahannock a few times with a friend down to Deltaville VA. The Rappahannock was famous for their oysters too.

eagleisland - Posted - 06/29/2026:  05:01:06

quote:

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Originally posted by steve davis

Shrimp were gone from here for 20 years and started showing up again in the late 60s.

My Dad and Erlin Eugley were the first to peddle shrimp outside of Maine back then.

Dad was a draggerman and caught his own to peddle.

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I remember when they were plentiful in Maine. Every week, trucks would show up in many towns to sell them during the season.

The Maine shrimp were small. They were also very sweet - I knew a couple of sushi chefs in Portland who had side businesses exporting them (and Maine sea urchin) to Japan. Very fresh shrimp of this variety make lovely sushi and yes, eaten raw.

I also used to like to make bisques and sauces with them, but cooked whole I always found them underwhelming - a bit soft and mealy in texture. Exception: cooked and cooled, they made a splendid shrimp salad for sammiches etc.

As Steve will attest, there's no season for them anymore, and there hasn't been for many years. It's not that there's no shrimp - it's that the waters in the Gulf of Maine have warmed to the point where the population can't be sustained. The stocks are now well north off Atlantic Canada.

1935tb-11 - Posted - 06/29/2026:  05:07:29

and them shrimps make great bait !!!!!!

banjo bill-e - Posted - 06/29/2026:  12:19:50

Anyone ever get any Royal Reds? Best peel-and-eat I've ever had, large and very sweet. We discovered them at The Blind Tiger, in Bay St. Louis, MS. which has my highest recommendation.

Owen - Posted - 06/29/2026:  14:01:22

W.r.t. lobster, my Mammy made it clear that she ".... sure sure wasn't going to eat any of those insects!!"  I don't recall anybody offering her any shrimp.

I/we don't eat a lot of seafood, but scallops rank right up there for me .... especially the "world famous" Digby ones.    One time when we were touring in the region, we stopped to watch, and b.s. a little with the fishermen as they shucked (?) their morning catch.   One of the fishermen noted. with a wink, that although we were in Halls Harbour, NS, they would nonetheless be marketed as "World Famous Digby Scallops." 

banjo bill-e - Posted - 06/29/2026:  14:54:07

Scallops have soared in price so that they are now, for me, a rare treat. In my 20s they were as affordable as shrimp.

1935tb-11 - Posted - 06/30/2026:  05:24:08

quote:

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Originally posted by banjo bill-e

Scallops have soared in price so that they are now, for me, a rare treat. In my 20s they were as affordable as shrimp.

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and i love them too 

eagleisland - Posted - 06/30/2026:  06:15:37

quote:

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Originally posted by banjo bill-e

Scallops have soared in price so that they are now, for me, a rare treat. In my 20s they were as affordable as shrimp.

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Scalloping is a tightly-regulated industry, at least here in the US. Supply and demand... and by golly, there's demand.

Scallops are another highly-perishable item - maybe a bit less-so than shrimp, but right up there. When they're super fresh they're delightful raw. Fortunately, I live in an area where I can get them that way.

Another factor is whether they've been treated or not. Super-fresh ones, handled by good fishmongers, sell them "dry" - as they come out of the shell. But for shipping, processers often soak them in a chemical brine that helps maintain their plumpness. You can usually tell by looking at them: if the scallops are in a somewhat milky-looking liquid, they've been treated; if they're just sitting there, they're likely untreated. The further from the coast you are, the more likely they've been treated - assuming they weren't frozen first. One of the downsides of the treated variety is that they tend not to get that lovely caramelized crust if sauteed in a hot pan.

Two additional scallop notes: where I live, we can get sea scallops pretty much year-round. But in the autumn, we can also get bay scallops. They're much smaller - maybe half to an eighth the volume of a sea scallops. They're sweet as candy. And they typically go for around $40/pound, which makes them a once-a-year treat for me.

The other thing that's interesting about scallops in the US is that it's extremely rare to see them with their roe sacks attached. That's the way they're usually sold in Europe, and I've seen them that way in Atlantic Canada. The roe sacks have the same lovely flavor, but a different texture. They're delicious, and it baffles me why they're not sold that way in the US. Seems terribly wasteful to me!

Edited by - eagleisland on 06/30/2026 06:15:52

rinemb - Posted - 06/30/2026:  06:44:43

quote:

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Originally posted by eagleisland

quote:

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Originally posted by banjo bill-e

Scallops have soared in price so that they are now, for me, a rare treat. In my 20s they were as affordable as shrimp.

---

Scalloping is a tightly-regulated industry, at least here in the US. Supply and demand... and by golly, there's demand.

Scallops are another highly-perishable item - maybe a bit less-so than shrimp, but right up there. When they're super fresh they're delightful raw. Fortunately, I live in an area where I can get them that way.

Another factor is whether they've been treated or not. Super-fresh ones, handled by good fishmongers, sell them "dry" - as they come out of the shell. But for shipping, processers often soak them in a chemical brine that helps maintain their plumpness. You can usually tell by looking at them: if the scallops are in a somewhat milky-looking liquid, they've been treated; if they're just sitting there, they're likely untreated. The further from the coast you are, the more likely they've been treated - assuming they weren't frozen first. One of the downsides of the treated variety is that they tend not to get that lovely caramelized crust if sauteed in a hot pan.

Two additional scallop notes: where I live, we can get sea scallops pretty much year-round. But in the autumn, we can also get bay scallops. They're much smaller - maybe half to an eighth the volume of a sea scallops. They're sweet as candy. And they typically go for around $40/pound, which makes them a once-a-year treat for me.

The other thing that's interesting about scallops in the US is that it's extremely rare to see them with their roe sacks attached. That's the way they're usually sold in Europe, and I've seen them that way in Atlantic Canada. The roe sacks have the same lovely flavor, but a different texture. They're delicious, and it baffles me why they're not sold that way in the US. Seems terribly wasteful to me!

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I am sure our offerings here in Kansas are nearly always "wet", or when I ask if the scallops are "dry/untreated" and they answer yes then I am sure they frozen to ship.  Does flash frozen taste and cook better than slow frozen with scallops?  Do they flash freeze scallops?  I rarely see a scallop dinner here where the scallop are nicely browned.  Brad

eagleisland - Posted - 06/30/2026:  11:34:36

quote:

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Originally posted by rinemb

 

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I am sure our offerings here in Kansas are nearly always "wet", or when I ask if the scallops are "dry/untreated" and they answer yes then I am sure they frozen to ship.  Does flash frozen taste and cook better than slow frozen with scallops?  Do they flash freeze scallops?  I rarely see a scallop dinner here where the scallop are nicely browned.  Brad

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Flash freezing is the best way to do it. This is how quality shrimp are handled, too. You may see them labeled as IQF, which means "Individual Quick Frozen".

Bear in mind that frozen seafood is sourced from all over the world, and that some sources are more diligent in how they handle the product from the moment it's caught. I've seen (and tasted) "bay scallops" from Asia; they look a lot like the native ones here on Cape Cod but they're invariably dry, chewy and flavorless. If you have access to IQF shellfish from anywhere in North America, you're probably going to get a quality product.

There are a number of online outlets who would ship IQF product to you out in the Great Midwest... packed in dry ice. But the shipping and handlng will probably cost more than the product itself.

Here in New England, we actually get a lot of lovely fresh finfish from Iceland. Because of the warming in the Gulf of Maine, many species such as cod are limited in numbers (and highly limited in catch quotas). Iceland doesn't have that problem. And frozen Icelandic stuff is good quality, too.

Edited by - eagleisland on 06/30/2026 11:35:48