Maine shrimp

Years ago, when we lived in Sudbury, a truck selling Maine shrimp would appear from time to time in the parking lot at the corner convenience store. I used to buy them and I remember liking them, but I hadn't seen them for years. This weekend, we drove to Camden, ME, to visit Peter. I saw several places offering Maine shrimp, including a truck or two. Peter asked me to cook dinner on Saturday in his new house. I walked with grandson Leao to the nearby grocery store and along with haddock I bought some Maine shrimp. They were little and pink and ready to be cooked.

The shrimp, which I used as a garnish or topping for the haddock, reminded me of the flavor and texture of the shrimp I used to buy. I can't quite find the words to describe it, but Maine shrimp has a softer texture, quite unlike the shrimp I usually buy. They are tiny, deserving of the name "shrimp" ("jumbo shrimp" strikes me as an oxymoron!) James Beard, in his encyclopedic Fish Cookery, asserts "as for the tiny shrimp, I think they are much underrated in this country. They are remarkably good in salads and excellent in some cooked dishes. A huge bowl of tiny shrimp, shelled, makes a perfect snack with cocktails."

On the way home I stopped at a truck and bought a five pound bag of uncleaned, fresh Maine shrimp for $7.50. Beard's words were enouraging, but neither Beard nor Child nor any other cookbook on my shelf gave me any hint about how to procede. The shrimp have large heads, and I was pretty sure that the first thing you do is remove the heads. They are also filled with roe -- at least I think it's roe -- and they have many long pink feelers. These shrimp are pink when raw, unlike most other varieties. When Eric and I had removed all the heads and discarded some of the ones that looked a bit under the weather, I rinsed them and then steamed them. I figured that I could have saved the water I'd steamed them in, but I felt better just throwing that water away.

Eric and I peeled the steamed shrimp once it had cooled. We tried to save the roe, but agreed that it would take all night to be really careful about it. So again we lost some of what might have been nutritious and flavorful. Compared to most of the food we buy this is so "in the raw" that I forgive myself for not being scruplous about preserving all of it. Most of the peeled shrimp are now in the refrigerator, tossed in lemon juice and a bit of lemon grass and awaiting some other "treatment" tomorrow or the next day.

For tonight, we had steamed artichokes stuffed with Maine Shrimp Salad.

Steam one artichoke per person. (I tend to undercook them -- it's better to over than undercook. Pull a leaf from the bottom -- if it detaches easily and is tender, the artichokes are ready.)
Let the artichokes cool, and then remove the central small leaves and the choke. Cut the stem away so that the choke will sit upright, and cut the stem into tiny pieces. Place them in a small mixing bowl. Add peeled shrimp, a small bit of chopped lemon grass, a handful of raw kale (if you have any on hand -- the texture and flavor goes really well with the shrimp), and a half of a chopped pepper, and mix with a T or so of mayonaise and the juice of a lemon. Spoon the shrimp salad into each artichoke.
Serve with crakers and cheese. Artichokes tend to fight with wine. I had vino verde, a Portugese white wine, and found it works very well!

Most of the shrimp that we buy comes from all over the world and is raised in farms that disturbe the ecosystem. Maine shrimp grow in their natural habitat and are caught by Maine fishermen. I'm planing to serve them for Christmas if I can get Peter to bring down a couple of bags...