"Shrimply" Irresistible

April 2005

"Shrimply" Irresistible

By John DeLoia, C.E.C.

Broiled, fried, grilled, sautéed, steamed, baked or poached; chilled or hot; in soups, sauces and stocks; for salads, appetizers, hors d'oeuvres and entrées; peel and eat, or served with the most elegant of preparations: We Americans love shrimp. We love them so much they are the No. 1 ordered seafood item on American menus, and they're a staple item in every fish market across the country.

We eat over 1 billion pounds of shrimp annually here in the United States, almost one-fifth of the world's production. Due to our almost-insatiable appetite for the crustaceans, we import shrimp from anywhere we can get it Mexico, South America, Asia and Indonesia, to name just a few places. Of the over 5 billion pounds of shrimp produced annually in the world, about 20% is farmed. Here in the United States, about 40% of the shrimp we eat come from farms in Asia and South America.

Shrimp will eat almost anything, including plants, small aquatic animals, and whatever happens to fall in the water. They provide an excellent source of protein, containing better than 20% by weight; have less than 5% fat; and contain several vitamins and minerals.

All hale the shrimp king
Healthy eating, in my opinion the only true sustainable trend, will play a huge role in the products we develop for the future. The use of seafood, with its healthy perception, will play a large role in that trend.

Shrimp deliver a great bang for the buck in the protein department, and they're low in fat. Consumers are concerned about the cholesterol content of some foods. But although a 4-oz. portion of shrimp contains about 200 mg of cholesterol, research by scientists from The Rockefeller University, New York, and the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and published in the Nov. 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that steamed shrimp, with its naturally low fat levels, can be included in heart-healthy, low-fat diets for people who do not have lipid problems without harming their lipoprotein profiles. About 5 oz. of steamed shrimp provides only 1.7 grams of fat, 0.36 grams of which are saturated fat, and 150 calories.

Researchers believe that shrimp's cholesterol might be harder to absorb than that found in other high-fat foods, or that the omega-3 fatty acids provide a health benefit. In fact, consuming shrimp might actually lower blood-cholesterol levels. Such health attributes can aid the nutritional profile of products developed with shrimp as a featured protein.

Ordering shrimp
Over 2,000 varieties of this tiny invertebrate in the world range in size from a fraction of an inch to over 9 in. long. Shell color variations seem endless, with tropical varieties boasting vivid shades of the spectrum.

All shrimp are divided into three basic categories: coldwater, warmwater and freshwater. Coldwater shrimp are found in the northern Atlantic (Pandalus borealis) and northern Pacific oceans (Pandalus jordoni). They are small and usually don't require deveining before eating. These smaller varieties often are sold peeled for canning, commercial salad production and IQF restaurant use.

Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas process the majority of warmwater shrimp harvested in the United States. The three major species of warmwater shrimp are brown, white and pink. Brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) have reddish-brown shells, and their meat has a stronger flavor due to a higher iodine concentration. As a result, brown shrimp are generally less expensive than the other two warmwater varieties: white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus), with greenish-gray shells, and pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum), which come in a variety of colors, including brownish pink and lemon yellow. Pink shrimp are among the highest priced in the market.

Shrimp are graded by size in counts and are available for retail, restaurant and industrial use in a wide variety of sizes. They're sold in the U.S. market as count per pound -- the larger the number, the smaller the shrimp. They typically are specified as a size range, such as 21/25, or between 21 and 25 shrimp per pound. Common sizes range from 250/300 and 150/250 on the smaller side, to 31/40, 26/30 and 16/20 in the medium-to-jumbo category, all the way up to U15 to U8, with the "U" meaning "under." Manufacturers can find just about any size, either peeled and deveined (P&D), shell on, tail off or on, raw or cooked -- or any combination thereof -- from local distributors. Broken pieces of larger shrimp, cooked or raw, are also available.

In my restaurant days, I even served U5s. One possible application for colossal types is stuffed shrimp. Some say very large shrimp have a tendency to be tough, but when properly cooked, they're just as tender. In my current life as a product developer, I work mostly with the smaller sizes and broken pieces due to cost considerations.

Shrimpy big business
Campeche, Mexico produces some of the finest white shrimp I've ever prepared. The Consejo Mexicano del Camarón ("Mexican Shrimp Council"), started in 2003, boasts having the "finest shrimp in the world." To my palate, wild-caught white shrimp are the sweetest and most delicate.

China is the world's leading producer of shrimp at about 1.3 metric tons per year. Coming in closely behind are Indonesia, Thailand and India with about 40,000 metric tons each per year. Japan the second-largest importer of shrimp next to the United States, imports about 100,000 metric tons, nearly half of U.S figures.

Shrimp, synonymous with tiny and little, is big business around the world, and sustainability -- in both the preservation of wild habitat and the methods of aquaculture employed -- are key to ensuring a steady supply.

Modern shrimp farming has its roots in Japan back in the 1930s when Motosaku Fujinaga spawned the kuruma shrimp (Penaeus japonicus) in his laboratory. He cultured the shrimp to market size and later began mass-producing them on a commercial scale. In 1963, Fujinaga founded the first independent commercial shrimp hatchery. In 1964, a technique was developed to rear larvae in large outdoor tanks that simulated the natural environment, and modern shrimp farming was born. Today, most of the shrimp raised in farms are the brown variety. White and pink varieties have yet to see commercial aquaculture success.

The culinary crustacean
Shrimp are sturdy manufacturing workhorses. They have a very high perceived value and add interest to nearly any appetizer or entrée. They are the seafood of choice for millions and can complement any cuisine.

And although including shrimp on menus is one of the longest-lived trends in culinary history, this conversant crustacean is the perfect fusion medium. Although I believe all cuisine is "fusion" until we give it a name, the blending of ingredients and cultural preparations will gain in popularity.

Customers often seek products that appear exciting, but safe, or familiar with a twist. What better way to satisfy that craving than with an exciting preparation of our old friend, the succulent shrimp? Some potential presentations include chipotle glazed shrimp, mango glazed Thai shrimp, red-curry shrimp, adresso (Peruvian cream sauce) shrimp, spicy achiote (annatto) shrimp, sun-dried tomato and pesto shrimp, goat cheese and Thai basil stuffed shrimp, ginger and lemon grass shrimp, and the old standby, garlic and lemon shrimp.

When developing shrimp products for either foodservice or retail markets, processors should remember a few basics. Shrimp are amazingly versatile. They stand up to and complement the big, bold flavors customers currently seek, so make them as spicy as desired. They thaw and refreeze very well, but don't like marinades. High-acid marinades can denature the delicate proteins in shrimp so that, when cooked, they turn very tough and rubbery. An exception is ceviche, a dish where the seafood is actually "cooked" with an acid, like lime juice, and then fresh vegetables and chiles are added. The dish is served without further cooking. However, in most cases, using high-acid marinades is not recommended.

Flavors are best introduced with a sauce or seasoning blend. For example, when formulating a filling for a spring roll, use a sauce that carries the desired flavor profile combined with cooked shrimp, and add vegetables that stay crisp during freezing and reconstitution.

For a battered or breaded application, when using whole, raw shrimp, pack the flavor in the breading predust to insulate it from the harshness of the hot-oil cooking process. Shrimp cook very quickly and are very fryer-friendly.

Processing points
As a cook and operator of many a commercial kitchen, shrimp have always been a part of my menu -- and shellfish allergies are a concern. Shrimp have a number of antigens that causes the release of histamines in people with shellfish allergies. Symptoms from hives to respiratory arrest are common. However, people who have shellfish allergies might not always have allergies to all seafood types. As with all allergens, care should be taken to avoid cross-contamination in the processing plant.

Irradiation of shellfish is a common practice in many countries. FDA has approved irradiation for several major food groups, including seafood. Small doses of gamma radiation will increase freezer storage length by about a month and reduce pathogen levels. Terms like "electronically pasteurized" or "cold pasteurized" can be used to describe irradiated foods.

Spoilage is also caused by the action of naturally occurring enzymes. Shrimpers commonly control enzymatic breakdown with sodium tripolyphosphate, which can also help control bacteria and aid shell removal. Shellfish soaked in this preservative and texturizer is called "wet pack."

I have found wet-pack shrimp to have a few inherent problems. First of all, they shrink like crazy when cooked because sodium tripolyphosphate helps raw shellfish retain moisture. Also, many fruits don't work well with the chemical; when formulating with wet-pack shrimp and fruit, exposure to sodium tripolyphosphate can, for example, render sweet, yellow mangos into gray mush. Finally, too much "soak" will turn the best of shrimp bland and rubbery. My recommendation is to source "dry-pack" shrimp.

Shrimp can also harbor a wide variety of pathogens, such as Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio. In addition, various other bacteria can reduce shelf life by causing off-odors, off-colors, sliminess and other quality problems. Therefore, like any other potentially hazardous food, shrimp should be handled with care. Good sanitation practices and proper cooking is key.

Manufacturers also need to monitor the plant process since shrimp are very soft and break up easy during any type of automated filling process. Care should be taken not to over-mix the filling during blending. I've seen many a shrimp turned into shrimp paste in a ribbon blender.

Shrimp offer developers numerous outlets for product formulation, from trend-setting ethic items with Asian or Hispanic profiles to time-honored comfort-food standbys. Shrimp's versatility easily makes it a big hit across the board on a perennial basis.   

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