Shrimp is America's favorite seafood — Americans consumed 4.4 pounds of shrimp, per capita, in 2006, about 1.5 pounds more than second place, canned tuna. Why? Shrimp is very affordable and this helps promote shrimp sales (as it always has for canned tuna), but shrimp's amazing popularity speaks to the fact that consumers are craving healthy, light foods. Shrimp is a lean protein that can be prepared quickly in a number of tasty ways. Also, the seafood industry has come up with a variety of valued-added products that make it especially convenient to  consumers.

In the shrimp industry, the term "value-added" refers to any further processing beyond de-heading. The number of variations of value-adding has grown considerably over the past several years. Value-added includes the following forms, or presentations: shell-on IQF (individually quick frozen), peeled with and without the tail (cooked and raw), peeled and deveined (P&D), P&D tail-on, and easy-to-peel (one of my favorites).

The terms "prawn" and "scampi" are often used interchangeably with shrimp: "prawn" commonly refers to freshwater shrimp or large saltwater shrimp; "scampi" is often used by restaurateurs to describe shrimp cooked in butter and garlic. All shrimp are divided into three basic categories: cold-water or northern; warm-water, tropical, or southern; and freshwater. You may find all three categories in your local market.

Cold-water shrimp inhabit the northern Atlantic (Pandalus borealis) and northern Pacific (Pandalus jordoni). They are very small and do not have to be deveined before eating.

Warm-water shrimp from the Gulf States of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas represent the overwhelming majority of domestic shrimp landing in the U.S. The three major species are brown, white, and pink shrimp. Uncooked brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) have reddish brown shells, and their meat has a stronger flavor than white or pink shrimp because of higher iodine content. As a result, brown shrimp are generally less expensive than the other two varieties. The premium-priced shrimp are white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus). Although classified as white, the shells of some are actually greenish gray. Pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) come in a variety of colors, including brownish pink and lemon yellow.

There are two smaller categories of warm-water shrimp. Red shrimp and rock shrimp occur from Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico. Rock Shrimp (Sicyonia brevirostris) is a fairly recent introduction into the American market. Rock shrimp gets its name from its hard shell.  The meat of rock shrimp is very firm, more lobster-like, and lower priced than other shrimp.

The freshwater shrimp known as the Malaysian prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) are farm raised in Hawaii, California, and other states. These shrimp are large and can reach a weight of 4-6 ounces each.

Shrimp are sold by count, which is expressed as a numerical range of shrimp per pound. A count of 41-50 means there are between 41 and 50 shrimp per pound. The smaller the count per pound the larger the shrimp. In the market, you may also see descriptive size names such as small, medium, large, or jumbo. Compare prices based on actual count per pound, not these size descriptions, for they may vary from store to store.

Here’s a great shrimp recipe to try out.

Delaware Party Shrimp

• 1-1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp, fresh or frozen
• 2 oranges, peeled and sliced crosswise
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chilies

Simmer shrimp in water until opaque. Drain immediately and cool under cold, running water. Layer cooked shrimp, orange slices, and onions in a serving container. Combine oil, lemon juice, sugar, paprika, mustard, garlic, salt, and red chilies and pour over shrimp mixture. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour. To serve, arrange shrimp, orange slices, and onions on platter and garnish with parsley or watercress.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes. Allow 1 hour for marinating. Makes 8 servings.

About the Fishmonger

Doris Hicks, Seafood Technology Specialist, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

As seafood specialist, for the University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service, Hicks works with both the seafood industry and consumers to develop educational programs about the proper way to handle, store, and prepare finfish and shellfish.  In addition to these outreach efforts, Hicks serves as a seafood safety instructor, providing training programs to seafood processors throughout the region. She also has conducted research with University of Delaware colleagues to explore new technologies for pasteurizing seafood.  Hicks received her bachelor's degree in food science from Rutgers University and her master's degree in food science and human nutrition from the University of Delaware.