Whether they’re packed into an overstuffed poboy sautéed to buttery perfection or butterflied and lovingly stuffed with lump crabmeat dressing, these tasty and familiar crustaceans find its way onto just about every menu in Louisiana. To the uninitiated, they’re not much to look at — beady eyes, long whipping whiskers, and a thin, translucent shell — but to Louisiana cooks, they’re a fresh-caught treasure that appears from late spring until mid-December.
In a time when most shrimp are farm-raised, quick-frozen and pre-peeled halfway around the globe, Louisiana shrimp are still wild things — starting their lives in saline marshes on the coast and growing to maturity in the shallow bays and saltwater lakes along the Gulf. The state is the largest domestic producer of shrimp with two bona fide shrimp seasons per year — brown shrimp from May to July and white shrimp from August to December. In season, most markets proudly display their shrimp with head and “whiskers” still attached — a sure sign of fresh product.
Louisiana seafood nationalists (chefs and diners alike) are justifiably proud of the native shrimp’s superior texture and flavor and protective of coastal fishing communities that have suffered in recent years. Farm-raised imports from countries like Thailand and India — shelled, pre-frozen, and as tasty as silicone caulk — have been dumped on the domestic seafood market, driving down prices as the economic invisible hand puts a stranglehold on Louisiana’s shrimpers. The local seafood industry has started to fight back with education – alerting diners and chefs to the difference between local product and the farm-raised imports.