A Brief History of the Shrimp

We could start everything with a couple of corny jokes. We could ask, “Where do shrimp sleep?” Then let you know, “In a water bed.”

Or ask, “What do shrimp need to stay healthy?” Answer? “Vitamin Sea.” But we won’t do that. For your sake and ours.

What we will do is inform you that there are over 300 different species of shrimp populating the seas. While we could spend pages and pages (and many have) discussing the many different types of shrimp, let’s stick to the local waters of South Carolina where certain shrimp and all of Charleston calls home.

There are three types of savory shrimp that populate the waters of our coast: brown, white and pink. The former, brown and white shrimp, are far more common.

In May or June, predominately you have what’s called roe shrimp; roe being the fertilized external egg mass from the shrimp. The Department of Natural Resources monitors the local growth and advises if there’s sufficient quantity to produce a full harvest. This part of the season is the shortest coming in at only about a month long.

Brown shrimp season makes up the second season. This generally runs for a few months starting in June and ending sometime in August. The brown shrimp – they go great in Cajun food like jambalaya due to their strong flavor profile – are some of the most common shrimp species. They can be identified by their red or brown color that is most greatly pronounced in their tails.

Milder than their cousins, the white shrimp are not unlike most of what comes out of the South: very sweet. The largest group harvested for food, the white shrimp season overlaps with the brown and can last until early January. If you’re picking up frozen shrimp in the freezer section of your local grocer, chances are they are of the white shrimp ilk.

Put on some Barry White and turn down the lights… ‘cause a single female produces between 500,000 and 1,000,000 eggs and can go through this process several times. The male then fertilizes the eggs and they sink to the ocean depths until the time and tide literally bring them up and they hatch. But “less than one or two percent of the eggs spawned survive to adults” according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

As far as what shrimp eat, they are simply bottom-feeders. Larger shrimp may feed off worms, small fish and even some crabs, but most simply feed off teeny tiny animals and plants also found on the ocean floors.

Speaking of food… While we could spend time writing another book or two on how the shrimp move from the proverbial saltwater—farm to table, let’s instead focus on the delicious magic that transpires once those crustaceans hit the plate.

You can enjoy them fresh. Many restaurants will simply boil these mouthwatering morsels. Peel. Eat. (Maybe dip in cocktail sauce.) Enjoy.  If you’re feeling frisky, you can grill or fry up a pound. Just add a dip: tarter or the classic cocktail, again.

Shrimp are the main ingredient in a Lowcountry Boil, alongside corn, sausage, and potatoes. Then there’s the Charleston staple of Shrimp & Grits... Just make sure that you get the right chef. While these dishes might seem simple, they’re like potato salad at a picnic: buyer beware! There must be a proverbial, hyperbolic billion ways to prepare shrimp that will tickle your palate from Charleston to New Orleans, everywhere in the South, and in between.

So, just remember, next time you have a huge pile of shrimp on your plate, share. Don’t be… Shellfish? (We couldn’t resist.)

~ Brandon L. Joyner