Kirkland Shrimp from India

[Yankee00]

Has anyone else purchased the shrimp at Costco on a white Styrofoam platter covered with cellophane? If you read the fine print, it states the shrimp are from India. My wife likes me to buy these shrimp due to their size and the price point, but in my humble opinion they don't even taste like shrimp. The shrimp I am used to taste sweet and these at Costco just taste completely bland. Has anyone else had this experience?

 

[GinnyPNW]

Hello Yankee! Welcome to DC. I have no idea about the shrimp on the platter from Costco, but I'm betting someone will be along soon with more input!

 

[gerardj]

Has anyone else purchased the shrimp at Costco on a white Styrofoam platter covered with cellophane? If you read the fine print, it states the shrimp are from India. My wife likes me to buy these shrimp due to their size and the price point, but in my humble opinion they don't even taste like shrimp. The shrimp I am used to taste sweet and these at Costco just taste completely bland. Has anyone else had this experience?

shrimp in america ,,,generally suck.
Its mostly farmed asian warm water shrimp, like tiger shrimp.
Maine atlantic shrimp are very good, pink, sweet and tender but seasonal.
The shrimp we get in europe are like maine shrimp, wild and not frozen.

 

[Yankee00]

shrimp in america ,,,generally suck.
Its mostly farmed asian warm water shrimp, like tiger shrimp.
Maine atlantic shrimp are very good, pink, sweet and tender but seasonal.
The shrimp we get in europe are like maine shrimp, wild and not frozen.

My current preference is wild caught shrimp from the East Coast of the USA. I recently splurged and got some from NC. I thought they were very flavorful. I also enjoy the red Argentinian shrimp.

 

[gerardj]

My current preference is wild caught shrimp from the East Coast of the USA. I recently splurged and got some from NC. I thought they were very flavorful. I also enjoy the red Argentinian shrimp.

patagonia cold water shrimp, they've gotta be good.

 

[medtran49]

shrimp in america ,,,generally suck.
Its mostly farmed asian warm water shrimp, like tiger shrimp.

Sorry, but you are incorrect. Wild caught shrimp are very available from multiple sources. Maybe you should start shopping somewhere different from your current food store.

 

[caseydog]

I can find wild caught Gulf shrimp all year long. It cost more than that farmed crap from SE Asia, but I gladly pay it. I grew up in a shrimp boat town on the Texas Gulf coast, and live just 300 miles away, now, so Gulf shrimp is the most common wild caught shrimp for me to find in the stores.

CD

 

[caseydog]

The shrimp we get in europe are like maine shrimp, wild and not frozen.

Unless you live in a coastal town, the shrimp you buy are frozen. They may thaw them out before putting them on display in the stores, but shrimp are two perishable to go days without being frozen.

When I lived on the Gulf coast, I could go to the docks and buy fresh shrimp. I'd have to use them the same day. But even the grocery stores there sold frozen, or previously frozen shrimp.

High-end restaurants inland (like here in Dallas) buy fresh shrimp, but they are flown in daily.

There is nothing wrong with frozen shrimp, as ling as you buy the shell on. You can peel them yourself right before you cook them, if your recipe calls for peeled shrimp.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

I'm in the boat of always buy with the shell on. I truly find the shell off too easy to be tasteless unless super, super careful... and even then...

 

[caseydog]

I'm in the boat of always buy with the shell on. I truly find the shell off too easy to be tasteless unless super, super careful... and even then...

Shelled then frozen shrimp also suffer from a texture perspective. They can be a bit mushy when thawed.

CD

 

[Yankee00]

Well, I just used a gift card that I got for Christmas and I will be boiling some Gulf white shrimp tonight. From my perspective, Gulf white are flavorful, slightly sweet and easy to peel. The crap I got from Costco/India tastes like nothing. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Yankee00]

Oh wow....these are delicious right out of the pot!

 

[jennyema]

shrimp in america ,,,generally suck.
Its mostly farmed asian warm water shrimp, like tiger shrimp.
Maine atlantic shrimp are very good, pink, sweet and tender but seasonal.
The shrimp we get in europe are like maine shrimp, wild and not frozen.

I can buy excellent shrimp from several places right by my house. Wild caught east coast Or gulf

maybe you should specify that most kinds of frozen packaged shrimp suck. But still some are fine.

 

[Yankee00]

In case anyone cares how I boil my shrimp, I stole a recipe from Martha Stewart. I load pot with water. Add in:
1) Kosher salt (to taste)
2) Peppercorns
3) Sliced celery
4) Sliced carrots
5) Sprig(s) of fresh thyme
6) Sprig(s) of fresh parsley
7) Lemon juice (to taste)

I bring the aromatics to a simmer and let the flavors permeate the water. When the shrimp are ready to be cooked, I bring the water to a rolling boil and add the shrimp. Once the shrimp are in, wait for the water to come ALMOST back to a boil and you are done.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I usually buy 16-20 raw shell on frozen wild caught shrimp.

I thaw them in a bowl of cold water.

For cold cooked shrimp, I cook the thawed shell on shrimp in a pot of boiling salt water.

After I add the shrimp to the pot I let them cook until they float aggressively, approx. 2-3 minutes total time.

I plunge the cooked shrimp into a bowl of ice water and peel them immediately.

I prefer dry crunchy shrimp so I put the peeled shrimp into a Pyrex casserole lined with paper towel, cover and refrigerate until serving time.

When I cook shrimp I always think of my mother.

In the days before pasta, my mother used to make macaroni salad with shrimp.

She taught me to slice through each shrimp lengthwise to create the illusion that she had twice as many shrimp.

She also insisted on using small/medium macaroni to make the shrimp seem bigger.

 

[dragnlaw]

Shelled then frozen shrimp also suffer from a texture perspective. They can be a bit mushy when thawed.

CD

I've never had that happen, maybe I've been lucky.

Funny, I don't ever remember my mom serving shrimp as a family meal (at least while growing up). Other than those tiny shrimp in the cans, called Salad Shrimp? and then only in a salad! and then again - only for guests!

 

[Yankee00]

I am still learning my shrimp. I am only working on shrimp from USA waters. I have read that brown shrimp from the Gulf have a "stronger" taste than the white shrimp I just cooked. Can anyone explain that in layman's terms?

Also, Have any of you all had Royal Red shrimp? They sound amazing from what I have read. Now, I have purchased and eaten Argentinian red shrimp, which I enjoyed very much and feel like they taste a little bit like my home's lobsters. Thank you all in advance.

 

[dcSaute]

given the iffy quality/health safety issues , , I refuse to buy farm raised shrimp and/or 'not USA source' shrimp.

seems the bigger they get, the more noticeable 'taste' declines - I stick to the 15-20 per pound size. one will see slightly different gradings - stuff like "14-18" which is likely insignificant.

buying 'fresh never frozen' is a huge challenge - the 'big boats' catch and freeze - either in a block or IQF - within minutes.

day boats go out, catch, return to dock same day. unless you're in a seaport, getting day boat shrimp is really not possible. we lived in Jacksonville FL long time ago - one could go to the dock and get a whole (bring your own) bucketful for a buck. not no more . . .

a shrimp is not a shrimp is not a shrimp - many species and most importantly to note the season they are harvest . . .
unless you live in shrimp boat country, getting fresh-never-frozen shrimp is all but impossible.

here a list by type/season, so when some teenager behind the counter tells you these are fresh caught rock shrimp - and the calendar says November - you can assume a lack of knowledge or a desire to fraudulate.
note: "local" names vary hugely . . . .

by type:
White Shrimp (Penaeus Setiferus), from brackish water estuary, are milder in flavor and just a little softer in texture than either Browns or Hoppers. These may be the perfect shrimp to fry or saute.
season: late Spring through June, then again from Fall until the dead of Winter sets in sometime in January.

Key West Pinks
Florida Hoppers or Pink shrimp (Penaeus Duorarum) produced locally by the high salinity waters of St. Joe Bay may just be the perfect boiling shrimp. These easy peeling, firm shrimp are in the middle of the flavor spectrum and have one of the prettiest after cooked colors. Unlike most shrimp that have a distinct color, Hoppers are chameleons who match the color of the bottom they are sitting on top of. From the almost translucent green hue they exhibit in St. Joe Bay, to the golden brown color caught off the shores of Cape San Blas, to the distinct almost cooked pink color of the hoppers caught off the Florida Keys, hence called Key West Pinks, these shrimp can always be identified by the ever present circular spot right in the middle of the shrimps side.
season: March to early May

Wild American Browns
Brown Shrimp (Penaeus Aztecus) or locally called Brownies are a little richer in flavor than the hoppers and are golden brown in color. These shrimp are a little softer than hoppers and are great for just about any cooking you can think of.
season: Normally they kick in when the hopper run ends in early May and can last throughout the Summer months.

Rock Shrimp (Sicyonia Brevirostris) probably best described as armor-plated shrimp that tastes more like lobster, lives and breeds offshore of Cape San Blas in between 100 and 200 feet of water. These tasty shrimp are an everyday meal to a hungry snapper lurking over the Empire Mica. They are difficult to peel but well worth the trouble to split and broiled. They just may be the most underrated shrimp on the planet
season: May and June

Royal Reds (Pleoticus Robustus) are perhaps the softest and most delicate of all our native shrimp species. This vibrant red shrimp never sees the light of day, preferring the cold dark depths out at the edge where the gently sloping bottom of the Gulf drops abruptly off the continental shelf.
season: early March through June.

by season:
early March through June - Royal Reds (Pleoticus Robustus)
March to early May . . . - Key West Pinks aka 'hoppers' (Penaeus Duorarum)
May and June . . . . . . - Rock Shrimp (Sicyonia Brevirostris)
May thru Summer . . . . .- Brown Shrimp (Penaeus Aztecus)
late Spring through June - White Shrimp (Penaeus Setiferus)
Fall thru dead of Winter - White Shrimp (Penaeus Setiferus)

 

[caseydog]

I am still learning my shrimp. I am only working on shrimp from USA waters. I have read that brown shrimp from the Gulf have a "stronger" taste than the white shrimp I just cooked. Can anyone explain that in layman's terms?

Also, Have any of you all had Royal Red shrimp? They sound amazing from what I have read. Now, I have purchased and eaten Argentinian red shrimp, which I enjoyed very much and feel like they taste a little bit like my home's lobsters. Thank you all in advance.

Being from the Gulf coast, there is a difference in appearance depending on which side of the Mississippi River they come from. Silt from the Mississippi moves West when it hits the Gulf.

Shrimp to the West, like what we catch in Texas, will be a grey color. They taste fine, and are safe, but look different.

Shrimp from the Eastern Gulf, around Florida, are more white/pinkish in color.

I like them both, but the grey Texas shrimp are the most available here in Dallas, where I live now, as well as most of Texas.

CD

 

[Yankee00]

given the iffy quality/health safety issues , , I refuse to buy farm raised shrimp and/or 'not USA source' shrimp.

seems the bigger they get, the more noticeable 'taste' declines - I stick to the 15-20 per pound size. one will see slightly different gradings - stuff like "14-18" which is likely insignificant.

buying 'fresh never frozen' is a huge challenge - the 'big boats' catch and freeze - either in a block or IQF - within minutes.

day boats go out, catch, return to dock same day. unless you're in a seaport, getting day boat shrimp is really not possible. we lived in Jacksonville FL long time ago - one could go to the dock and get a whole (bring your own) bucketful for a buck. not no more . . .

a shrimp is not a shrimp is not a shrimp - many species and most importantly to note the season they are harvest . . .
unless you live in shrimp boat country, getting fresh-never-frozen shrimp is all but impossible.

here a list by type/season, so when some teenager behind the counter tells you these are fresh caught rock shrimp - and the calendar says November - you can assume a lack of knowledge or a desire to fraudulate.
note: "local" names vary hugely . . . .

by type:
White Shrimp (Penaeus Setiferus), from brackish water estuary, are milder in flavor and just a little softer in texture than either Browns or Hoppers. These may be the perfect shrimp to fry or saute.
season: late Spring through June, then again from Fall until the dead of Winter sets in sometime in January.

Key West Pinks
Florida Hoppers or Pink shrimp (Penaeus Duorarum) produced locally by the high salinity waters of St. Joe Bay may just be the perfect boiling shrimp. These easy peeling, firm shrimp are in the middle of the flavor spectrum and have one of the prettiest after cooked colors. Unlike most shrimp that have a distinct color, Hoppers are chameleons who match the color of the bottom they are sitting on top of. From the almost translucent green hue they exhibit in St. Joe Bay, to the golden brown color caught off the shores of Cape San Blas, to the distinct almost cooked pink color of the hoppers caught off the Florida Keys, hence called Key West Pinks, these shrimp can always be identified by the ever present circular spot right in the middle of the shrimps side.
season: March to early May

Wild American Browns
Brown Shrimp (Penaeus Aztecus) or locally called Brownies are a little richer in flavor than the hoppers and are golden brown in color. These shrimp are a little softer than hoppers and are great for just about any cooking you can think of.
season: Normally they kick in when the hopper run ends in early May and can last throughout the Summer months.

Rock Shrimp (Sicyonia Brevirostris) probably best described as armor-plated shrimp that tastes more like lobster, lives and breeds offshore of Cape San Blas in between 100 and 200 feet of water. These tasty shrimp are an everyday meal to a hungry snapper lurking over the Empire Mica. They are difficult to peel but well worth the trouble to split and broiled. They just may be the most underrated shrimp on the planet
season: May and June

Royal Reds (Pleoticus Robustus) are perhaps the softest and most delicate of all our native shrimp species. This vibrant red shrimp never sees the light of day, preferring the cold dark depths out at the edge where the gently sloping bottom of the Gulf drops abruptly off the continental shelf.
season: early March through June.

by season:
early March through June - Royal Reds (Pleoticus Robustus)
March to early May . . . - Key West Pinks aka 'hoppers' (Penaeus Duorarum)
May and June . . . . . . - Rock Shrimp (Sicyonia Brevirostris)
May thru Summer . . . . .- Brown Shrimp (Penaeus Aztecus)
late Spring through June - White Shrimp (Penaeus Setiferus)
Fall thru dead of Winter - White Shrimp (Penaeus Setiferus)

It appears that you and I are reading from the same source. Thank you so much for the information you have shared as it is very helpful and appreciated. I live in Virginia (Maine transplant), but not on the coast, so I never buy "fresh" shrimp from local seafood shops as I assume they have already been frozen and thawed at least once before they arrived there.
I still would like to better understand the flavor difference between browns and whites.