Maine Shrimp T.A.C. Update

Sign drawn by Mike Monahan

The northern shrimp section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met last week to determine whether the total allowable catch for the 2012 Maine shrimp season would be increased. The news is that there will be an increase from 2000 metric tons to 2211.The commission threw the industry a bone that I’m sure it will think is inadequate but at least it’s something.  So it looks like this year we should see shrimp through February and maybe into early March!

In our continuing search for new and exciting Maine shrimp recipes our own Wendy Williams recommended an amazing Spanish shrimp pancake dish called tortillitas de camerones. Mark Bittman wrote in the New York Times that he first tried this dish at the Taberna Toscana in Madrid. Made with a combination of chickpea flour and white flour, you’ll be amazed at how fast, simple and fantastic they are as an appetizer or a light main course!

This recipe is perfect for our sweet little Maine shrimp but as I’m savoring each bite, the thought of substituting plump oysters, squid, bacalao, lobster meat, crabmeat or a combination of any of them makes me anxious to experiment!

Read more about Maine Shrimp here.