The Bright Side to a Gray January Day: Maine Shrimp are Here!

In the cold dead of winter one of our all time favorite seasonal delicacies appears—Maine Shrimp! The hermaphrodites have returned in all their fresh, sweet and delicate glory! These lovely little pink beauties begin their lives as males and as they migrate south to the gulf of Maine they become females packed with sweet roe!

They are really quite different than their southern cousins—much smaller about 50-60 to the lb., there is no need to devein them (just peel) and they take about a minute to cook. They are a beautiful pink orange color have a firm but tender texture and are just about the sweetest and nuttiest flavor you’ll ever experience .

We first started bringing in these gems back in the early 80s and every season we discover new and amazing ways to prepare them. Our original Maine Shrimp recipe handout has some great recipes: Open face Scandanavian sandwich with hard boiled egg and fresh dill on rye, stir-fried with herbs and sun dried tomatoes over linguini, Sesame stir fry over rice. We now make Maine shrimp po, boys and shrimp rolls , ceviche Thai shrimp cakes, scampi, all kinds of salads, fried head on with roe, served raw for sashimi or with a splash of lemon and a good olive oil—Forrest Gump’s buddy Bubba would have been amazed with the possibilities!

The season usually officially last until May but they seem to start pertering out in April. So if you need a fresh lift out the winter blahs come on down and get em while their runnin’!