Home › The Principles of Cookery › Shrimp

Shrimp

There are several varieties of shrimps, and amongst these the best known are the brown shrimp and the red shrimp. The brown shrimp is the more highly flavoured of the two. It keeps close to the shore, and affects brackish waters. It is mostly caught by fishermen and women, who wade into the sea, and push a shrimp-net before them. The red shrimp, or rather the pale-pink shrimp, rarely attains to such a size as the brown shrimp does; it is slimmer in its proportions, and more delicate in flavour. It never enters brackish waters; but keeps well out, to sea. It is sometimes called the Yarmouth shrimp, from having been accidentally discovered in Great Yarmouth Roads by some boats employed in recovering lost anchors by a process called "sweeping." Two boats, at a certain distance from each other, proceed up and down the Roads, having a loose rope suspended between them, at the middle of which is fastened a large fish-basket, or "swill," partly laden with stones to sink it. By these means the place of the anchor at the bottom of the sea is ascertained, and it is then raised and brought to land. In particular states of the tide, it was found that the swill, when brought to the surface, was filled with an unusual species of shrimps. The hint was taken immediately, and the red shrimp fishery established.

Shrimps form a common relish at the breakfast or tea table. When freshly boiled, they are excellent; stale, they are indigestible. Boiled shrimps, which are clammy to the touch, and exhale a pungent smell, are not fresh, and should be discarded as comparatively worthless.