Really big shrimp - as in huge shrimp. Now's the time to head to the Gulf Coast for that summer vacation. The shrimp being caught in the Gulf of Mexico today are by and large larger than normal.
And they're normally very large by shrimp standards already.
Like shrimp? I recommend Skinner's Seafood on Dauphin Island as the place to get great, and great big, shrimp at a great price. They'll even prepare it just perfectly for you. Great big, beautiful shrimp steamed and spiced perfectly and ready to eat. What could be better?
Is there such as thing as a shrimp that's too big?
Capt. Ricky Brown certainly doesn't think so. He recently got back to Bayou La Batre after 22 days zigzagging from Florida to Louisiana aboard the Beau Rivage in pursuit of shrimp. Somewhere in the shallow waters of Louisiana (and he won't say exactly where) he lucked up on some of the biggest prey in the Gulf, the elusive and much-prized U-12 count shrimp.
The shrimp count reflects the number of shrimp per pound. So U-12 means that there are 12 or fewer shrimp per pound. By comparison, 21-30 count shrimp are considered large and the popular 16-20 per pound are graded as extra large.
He had plenty of 16-20s and 31-35s, but for my money, the giant U-12s were the star attractions.
These babies are, well, huge. Monsters that defy logic and mock the term "shrimp." Read more