Wild-caught Gulf Shrimp
One-of-a-kind flavor, from small to extra colossal
For many, no trip to the coast would be complete without a shrimp dinner or two. And the shrimp you eat tonight slept in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday — or should have. Wild-caught Gulf shrimp is without question the best way to experience this crustacean delicacy, described variously as premium, tender, mouth-watering and domestic. And Texas is a top producer.
Catching the Crustaceans
Trawlers up to 80 feet in length take to the bays or the Gulf of Mexico’s 660 quadrillion gallons of water in search of the tasty brown-and-white shrimp. A captain and two-man crew — a header and a rigger — deploy nets up to 45 feet long, dragging them along the sea floor, and tickler chains attached to the nets encourage the shrimp into the net. Sought after for their fla- vor, Gulf shrimp can grow as large as eight to nine inches long. Once the net is brought aboard, the header begins removing heads from thousands of shrimp. The rigger is charged with the care of the nets and assists the header.
Shrimp are then flash frozen at sea in a special brine, further preserving their freshness. Shrimp boat captains, often with decades of experience, are responsible for finding the shrimp, managing the crew and boat, and ensuring they all return safely to port — all while balancing concerns such as fuel costs, supplies, weather and the shrimp market.
SHIPPING OFF Held in many Gulf Coast communities, the Blessing of the Fleet marks a tradition centuries old, in which local clergy bless the trawlers before they head out to the bay and Gulf waters. “The Gulf Coast,” this 1955 postcard reads, “supplies the nation with the finest in shrimp.”
Shrimping in the Lone Star State
Texas has a long history with shrimping. Port Isabel, in Cameron County at the southernmost tip of the state, was known as the Shrimping Capital of the World during the 1950s and 1960s. By 1958 Port Isabel had 10 processing plants, and nearly 200 boats operated from the city’s docks. In 1967, 20 million tons of shrimp were brought to the Port Isabel docks.
Shrimp are also widely celebrated across Texas at events such as the Galveston Island Wild Texas Shrimp Festival, the Aransas Pass Shrimporee, the Seadrift Shrimpfest and Port Isabel’s World’s Championship Shrimp Cook-Off. Participants demonstrate their culinary abilities with a wide variety of offerings from shrimp cocktail to fried, coconut, boiled, paella, pizza, ceviche, tacos or gumbo. Choosing a favorite can prove challenging, with an increasing number of creative choices.
Seafood markets from Brownsville to Port Arthur offer fresh shrimp direct from their boats. Walk into Quik Stop in Port Isabel, and among the plethora of fishing lures and supplies and snacks and T-shirts is a seafood case featuring locally caught fare — along with a staff that will happily assist the novice with preparation tips. Or visit Texas Gulf Trawling Co. in the Brownsville Shrimp Basin, where a freezer is packed with boxes of shrimp ready for the pan or grill. Sizes are marked small (51/60 per pound) to medium (41/50 per pound) all the way up to jumbo (21/25 per pound) to colossal and extra colossal, which contain 14 to as few as five per pound. The extraordinary efforts of Texas’ shrimp boats and crews are appreciated at countless tables across the state and beyond as diners enjoy a meal of the wild-caught Texas Gulf shrimp. Visit the Texas Shrimp Association or Go Texan Shrimp websites for a listing of restaurants, retailers and docksides that offer wild-caught Gulf shrimp — or ask your server.
