South Pacific Caledonian Blue Prawn

Finding good shrimp has become a challenge. Luckily, here in Minnesota we have one very good seafood resource in “Coastal Seafoods” 

Almost all the shrimp here in the Midwest have been frozen. Occasionally we get fresh Gulf or Maine shrimp. And, I buy them when available. Most of the shrimp we see at the supermarket are from South East Asia,Ecuador and are farm raised. I particularly like the South Pacific Caledonian Blue Prawn- and if they aren’t in Coastal’s seafood case- they usually have them frozen in the back. They are farm raised,delicious, and sweet. They come with their heads on- so you will have to lop them off.

For cold shrimp dishes I like to steam the shrimp. This produces a tender shrimp. Boiling shrimp or lobster just seizes up the flesh into rubber. Put in couple of inches of water with a few slices of lemon into the pot. Add the steamer. Lay the shrimp- in their shells in a single layer- usually a dozen will fit - put on the lid and cook till they turn pink and curl up- usually 3 minutes or less. It goes so fast that you can do several batches back to back. You can easily make shift a steamer by taking a large pot and put a footed colander on the bottom- as long as the shrimp aren’t under water- it will work fine. My rice cooker comes with a steamer basket and it does a great job. When cooked- rinse under cold water to prevent further cooking. Cool. Peel and clean them and pat dry them well with paper towels and refrigerate until ready to use.