Burgers, Dogs, & Pizza, Oh My!

Posts Tagged ‘shrimp’

Panamei is one of the brands available from Quirch Foods, an importer, exporter, distributor of quality products to groceries and industrial accounts.

They trace their roots back to the early 20th century in Cuba, then after 59, immigrated to Puerto Rico, set up there, and finally to establish a base in the Miami area, where they are today.

The work the entire gamut of food – beef, pork, poultry and seafood – fresh and frozen.

I was attracted to their frozen seafood because of specials one of my local grocers was running, several weeks in a row.  I hadn’t noticed the product line in the past.

First item up was one pound frozen blocks of lobster meat.  Their lobster comes from Central America. The package ingredients say: lobster. Period. You should slow defrost it in the frig for 24-36 hours. It is raw. I chose to steam it, then gave the meat a quick char under the broiler.  Mind you, this isn’t one or two small tails, this is loose meat, from tails and claws.  Good for sandwiches, salads, bisque, bouillabaise, and casseroles.

The reason I broke the speed limit to get to the store the day I noticed the product in the circular, is because it was marked at $7.  A pound. Lobster meat.

And it was delicious.  Yes, there are a few packs in the freezer.  This time around it evolved into tasty lobster rolls, split buttered, toasted bun, slight memo and finely diced celery bits in the salad.

Following week it was shrimp.  Good size (13-15), great value at $6 a pound.  Sourced from Southeast Asia, package ingredients, shrimp, salt, water.  The flesh was very flavorful and firm.  It was great on skewers on the grill. I’m damned picky about my shrimp, having lived in New Orleans for years. This meets the grade. Yes, I stocked up on this, also.

Check the products out if you run across them. Don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Store locator.

Panamei Seafood Review

Panamei Seafood Review

Tybee Island is the easternmost point of the U.S. state of Georgia, and is one of the barrier islands off the east coast of the U.S.

The Crab Shack therefore is the easternmost restaurant in the state of Georgia, 18 miles from downtown Savannah, and worth the drive.

Built from the ground up by an enterprising returnee couple, from the remnants of a local marina and bait shop, the restaurant, bar, and gift shop features a menu that offers  fresh seafood, local and otherwise, as well as Georgia style barbecue.

This unique attraction is the perfect place to sit in the sun (or not) and have a great meal, mosey your way through an afternoon of tropical cocktails, or  ……. wait for it. ………….. show the kids the pond with SEVENTY EIGHT (yes, 78, count them!) live baby alligators!  No,  I’m not kidding!

I went for the “low country boil” – something you’ll see on a lot of area menus, which is concocted via  a massive pot of boiling seasoned water, into which is dumped sausage, corn cobbettes, smoked sausage and shrimp. A lot of peel and eat shrimp.  It’s a very generous serving, dumped out onto your plate and serve with condiments of your choice.

(BTW, if your kids get antsy waiting for the food – there’s a giant bin of saltines at each table, but the food comes quickly).

I dug the boil plate big time. Pretty much like a New Orleans crawfish boil, except substituting shrimp, of course.

Also on tap, local favorite Brunswick stew, a flavorful tomato based thick broth with pulled chicken, sausage, pork and vegetables. Simply marvelous.  Brunswick, Georgia, claims to have originated the dish in 1898. Earlier versions were made with rabbit and/or squirrel.  No such luck these days!  here’s a traditional recipe if you want to try it at home.

If you’re visiting Savannah, don’t confine yourself to the tourist areas downtown and along the river. Get out of town, feed the gators, then feed yourself at the Crab Shack.  Highly recommended.

Can’t get there?   They’ll ship you their seafood, stew, ‘cue and condiments.  No kidding!  Brochure below, or order here.  Ask your server about the local atomic bomb!

Low Country Boil

Baby gators! They’re alive!

Have Crab Shack Food Shipped

Crab Shack Review

Crab Shack Review

When you think of “Chicago food,”  most likely deep dish pizza and hot dogs come to mind;  but a ‘native dish’ in Chicago is fried shrimp, and you’ll find local chains competing for the best recipes and reviews.  The oldest, and arguably the best, is Frank’s Chicago Shrimp House, with four locations.

I lived in Chicago twice and didn’t know this, and having lived in New Orleans for some time, I’ve become kind of a shrimp snob.  There are thousands of shrimp species,  varying in size and color, dependent upon their habitat.  In recent years, methods of farming shrimp have become more developed, and a great deal of the shrimp you purchase in the grocery or at a restaurant was farm raised (not caught in the wild).  Shrimp are sorted by the number per pound, with 10 U (under 10) the largest available in the US.  11-15 would be considered “jumbo” by most any classification system.

I’ve been lucky to have even bigger, in the hospitable warm and food rich waters of Southeast Asia, like the quarter pounder beauty pictured on the left.   I’ve also had the pleasure of purchasing shrimp right off the boats in both New Orleans and along the Texas Gulf Coast (pictured below).  Shrimp boats ply most of the Gulf Coast and you can regularly get the freshest shrimp available anywhere at a bargain price…..bring your cooler.  In addition to fresh Gulf shrimp, my very favorite is Key West shrimp, known by their bright pink color and sweet meat.

All that to say, you won’t find any pond raised shrimp at Frank’s.  Born in 1946 as the Ship Shape Shrimp Shake the business flourished for thirty years until ill health caused the owner to shut it down.   A few years later, a local businessman got together with the former owner with a plan to reopen. Frank’s opened with the old recipes, and the founder’s philosophy of selling the freshest seafood as inexpensively as possible, and was an immediate success.  These day’s, Frank’s daughters run the four current locations while developing more expansion plans.

The menu is brief.  Buy by the plate,  pound, or partial pound.  Fried shrimp (regular), Chicago style (spiced fried), Catfish, Scallops, Perch, Chicken Strips and Frog Legs.  Sides include fries, rings, zucchini, slaw, and a few other items.   The top price on the menu is $20 / pound for the shrimp, a fairly reasonable price.  Eat in or take out.

I opted for some Chicago style shrimp and some cat, with a few fries on the side.  Everything was fried perfectly and the ‘seasoned’ pieces had a slight hint of heat.  Shrimp are good sized with just the right firmness, and cooked when you order.   A choice of condiments is offered:  seafood sauce, bbq, tartar, lemon juice, and  one other I forgot already.

This is great stuff.

Franks menu at the bottom of the page.

Louisiana Shrimp Boats

Shrimp Off the Boat

bb

Chicago Style Shrimp

pp

Franks Chicago Shrimp Review

Franks Chicago Shrimp Review