support american shrimpers & local farmers: eat some gulf shrimp with spring asparagus tonight!

wednesday morning at kerrytown and the farmers market is in full bloom. flowers and plants are everywhere but today i’m on the hunt for some fresh spring asparagus. the farmers had some tender young beauty’s that looked great! i love those small, snappy ones. the best asparagus of the year coupled with our wild texas gulf shrimp, what could be better?

did you know that over 90 percent of the shrimp consumed in the u.s. is imported? thailand, china and several latin american countries are big producers. that makes their shrimp cheap and plentiful and has helped make shrimp the number 1 most consumed seafood in the world. but cheap and plenty doesn’t mean best in the shrimp world. i’m sure many of you have read some of the horror stories about farmed shrimp such as, over crowded ponds, rampant disease, over use of antibiotics, chemical residue from pond cleaning and even the use of slave labor. just like any farming operations there are some that are properly run and some that aren’t.

i’m not a shrimp-farming expert nor am i an investigative reporter, but i do know one thing- our wild caught american shrimp is far better than any import in every way. the texas white and brown shrimp that we carry are caught in clean gulf waters. they thrive on all natural feed. they sustain old traditional family shrimpers and shrimping communities and most of all they are the most delicious shrimp out there. firm to the bite, sweet to the taste and full of great shrimp flavor that the soggy farmed stuff can’t touch.

welcome spring with wild gulf shrimp and some local asparagus tonight!

linguine with wild gulf shrimp & asparagus

here’s another great shrimp recipe: new orleans style head on bbq shrimp