From
A Past Issue Of The New Orleans Menu Daily
Originally published August 25, 2006
Shrimp Season: The Best Dishes
The fall shrimp season--one of the several we enjoy in Louisiana waters--just opened. And so begins another enthralling episode in an amazing year for Louisiana's favorite crustacean.
The quality of the shrimp (and crabs, speaking of crustaceans) this year has exceeded anything most people remember. In numbers, size, and flavor, these are the best shrimp imaginable.
It couldn't have happened at a better time. On top of that little event about a year ago, the shrimp industry in Louisiana has been in trouble. Farm-raised shrimp from other parts of the world, principally Asia, are so much cheaper that they've shoved the local product off the seafood racks in most supermarket--especially the national chains.
A couple of years ago the Louisiana shrimpers and their marketing people in the Louisiana state government launched an initiative to make an important point: that wild-caught Gulf shrimp, and Louisiana shrimp in particular, are the best shrimp out there. They are to shrimp what Maine lobsters are to that species, what Roquefort is to blue cheeses, and beluga is to caviar.
Even if you infer local boosterism in that superlative, there is no question that the local shrimp are incomparably and obviously superior to the imported shrimp whose low price so many people find so persuasive. Louisiana shrimp are so fine that I even saw them in a fresh fish market in Barcelona when I was there last month.
But if we'll pay extra for prime beef, real Champagne, and Roquefort cheese (and we do), why not for the best shrimp? That's the point the White Boot Brigade (an organization of local shrimpers) has been trying to make to the serious eaters around the country.
Fortunately, the better restaurateurs have taken the side of the shrimpers, and have kept their menus loyal to Louisiana shrimp. From now until the end of the year, the supply and price of shrimp will be so attractive that you will see many more shrimp dishes featured on local menus than during the rest of the year.
The fall shrimp are white shrimp. The discussion is endless as to whether these or the brown shrimp we get earlier in the year are better, but the disparity is too slight to worry about. I do find that white shrimp seem to lend themselves particularly well to dishes where they stand alone, because their flavor is somewhat subtler than that of brown shrimp. Their thinner shells also make them great for boiling, and dishes using boiled shrimp. Remoulade, for example.
Here is a top-ten list of the best shrimp dishes currently being served in New Orleans area restaurants. (Only those that have reopened already. That eliminates a few really great dishes, like the shrimp Henican at Commander's Palace.)
1. Barbecue shrimp, Palace Cafe. 144 Bourbon, 522-0111. About 20 years ago, Chef Gerard Maras, while he was at Mr. B's, reworked the dish that Pascal's Manale made famous, and improved on it. The shrimp are sauteed in some wine and herbs and pepper first, then the butter is emulsified into the liquid to create a much more delicious, elegant sauce. Mr. B's has had the best ever since, and while we're waiting for them to open, you can get a nearly identical version at the Bourbon House.
2. Cane River Country Shrimp, Upperline. 1413 Upperline, 891-9822. For some reason, shrimp and grits has become a hip dish in these parts. (The idea is not new--it's long popular in the Low Country of South Carolina.) This original from Chef Ken Smith is the best I've had: sauteed shrimp served over a grits cake in a sauce that's essentially reduced shrimp bisque.
3. Shrimp Italian style, Mosca’s. 4137 U.S. 90, 436-9942. Big shrimp in the shells, roasted with garlic, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and garlic. Elemental and wonderful. (By the way, this year Mosca's did not close for the month of August as it usually does.)
4. Shrimp Herradura, Drago’s. 3232 N. Arnoult Rd., 888-9254. Big shrimp sauteed with sun-dried tomatoes and savory herbs, all of that made into a sauce by deglazing the pan with tequila. They plop it on a grilled portobello mushroom, and it's a terrific blend of flavors.
5. Shrimp remoulade, Arnaud's. 813 Bienville, 523-5433. The definitive shrimp remoulade, made with the apotheosis of the New Orleans-style red remoulade sauce. It is significantly spicier than most, and some people find it a bit too assertive. But to my palate it's everything a remoulade ought to be.
6. Shrimp scampi, Ristorante Filippo. 1917 Ridgelake, 835-4008. Shrimp scampi are shrimp made in the style of a dish made with the lobster-like Adriatic scampi in Italy. We get away with it because our shrimp are so meaty and tasty. Almost every Italian restaurant serves it, but I've had none better than this elegant version from the hand of chef-owner Phil Gagliano.
7. Shrimp and Grits with Tasso Cream Sauce, Herbsaint. 701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114. Here's another--and very different--version of shrimp and grits. In this one, the big shrimp are seared to brown at the edges, and come out on a grits cake zinged up with green chili peppers, and enriched with a cream sauce tinged with the smoky, salty flavor of tasso.
8. Broiled shrimp, Bozo's. 3117 21st Street, 831-8666. This dish especially lends itself to white shrimp. They butterfly some big ones, sprinkle on a simple seasoning blend with a good bit of pepper, add a little butter, and run it under the broiler until the shrimp start popping. Great light dish.
9. Boiled shrimp, Galley. 2535 Metairie Rd., 832-0955. The simplest--and some would say best--way to cook shrimp is just to boil them and eat them immediately. Few restaurants serve hot boiled shrimp, but the Galley always does. They seem to have better sources for raw product than most casual seafood houses (their boiled crabs are equally outstanding). No better boiled shrimp than here.
10. Shrimp Marguery, Galatoire’s. 209 Bourbon, 525-2021. Marguery sauce is a rich, light tan, thick concoction containing shrimp and mushrooms, among other things. It's typically served over fish, but if you order it with the big shrimp they reserve for their shrimp entrees, you have something wonderful--even though it's just this side of an order of sauce.
© 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com