Hello Everyone!
I have to admit that we usually have turkey for Thanksgiving. Actually, we always have turkey for Thanksgiving. I have yet to be the one to prepare the all-important meal, (thanks Mom!), but I suppose if I did I'd serve turkey. There is something big to be said for holiday ritual; for the safe-keeping of the traditions of our families. So, turkey it is. However, never let it be said that we don't have the. most. amazing. seafood appetizers on the planet! And between you and me, I usually fill up on the fabulous hors d'oeuvres so that there's only a smidge of room for turkey. This year we're bringing stuffed shrimp to the party, so this week we're featuring our large tiger shrimp on special and sharing our delicious recipe! Read on for all the details.
In the case this week we have fresh Alaskan halibut and a few fresh cheeks in stock - side note: the season was extended just a few days so it looks like we really should have fresh halibut for Thanksgiving and then move to thawed for the last week of November. (The season will open again in March.) We also have some lovely fresh wild winter troll king from Alaska in limited quantity (the weather has been atrocious!) and we did get a dab of fresh wild local coho salmon in from our Quinault Tribal connection, as well as some fresh wild steelhead from the Quinault River. We have rock cod, true cod, petrale sole and some pretty sablefish in for white fish. Also some whole Idaho farmed trout, Hawaiian Ahi tuna and Hawaiian Mahi Mahi (Friday). We've got a steady supply of clams, mussels and oysters as well as a new batch of beautiful Dungeness crab. Scallops, cakes, calamari and our shrimp and prawns are on special this week - grab your umbrella and a scarf and come see us!
~Kira
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If someone were to hold a global seafood popularity contest, the clear winner would be the tasty tiger shrimp! Hundreds of thousands of tones of tiger shrimp are sold each year, and for good reason. They're delicious, easy to prepare, difficult to demolish while cooking, and easily adapt from the backyard barbecue to the finest of fine dining. Most tiger shrimp (including the shrimp we offer up here at our shop) are farmed, so they earn a lower rating on the eco-amazing scale than other items we carry, but improvements in tiger prawn farming (including the questionable quest for organic certification in Thailand) continue. Tiger shrimp are conveniently offered in a wide variety of sizes and prep methods. Our shop standard is the 20 count (per pound) peeled and de-veined raw shrimp with the little tail section left on.
To stuff a peeled and deveined tiger shrimp, you'll want to cut a bit deeper along the established cut line from where the vein was removed and about half-way up. Once you have this pretty thin (almost completely through - just play with it a little) you can flatten out the sides of the shrimp and the tail sort of conveniently curls over the top. Just the perfect spot for a pinch of stuffing!
To stuff a shrimp that is still in ownership of its shell, start by using a pair of kitchen scissors to cut up the back of the shell. Remove the shell and then hunt down the vein (it will be darker and groody looking) and remove that as well. Give the shrimp a rinse and then the knife treatment described for the tiger shrimp. Voila!
Easiest Stuffed Shrimp "Recipe" on the Planet
This isn't really a recipe, (more of an assembly), but I'm telling you there is no quicker way to whip up a plate of amazing and deeelicious appetizers! It's not as fabulous, in my opinion, as the next, proper recipe but it kicks butt for time and sometimes that's exactly what we need.
1. Turn on your oven to 350 and slap a piece of foil on a cookie sheet. Smear a dab of olive oil around on top of the foil so your shrimp don't stick.
2. Get yourself one crab cake and 8 tiger shrimp for every 4 people you'll be serving. (The math on this is 2 stuffed shrimp per person, but lord knows Tony can usually eat a few more than that so keep in mind your specific customers....)
3. Cut each crab cake into half, half again and half again. 8 pieces.
4. Cut your shrimp as described above and then season with salt and pepper.
5. Tuck a chunk of crab cake into each shrimp curve and bake for 13 minutes. Done! Ten bucks, 15 minutes including 13 of cooking time, and 4 happy people. Yay!
*For extra credit drizzle some garlic butter over the top before serving. Everything is better with butter!
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