{"id":3547,"date":"2014-12-11T14:51:21","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T19:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/?p=3547"},"modified":"2024-05-02T15:17:52","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T19:17:52","slug":"starring-wild-caught-local-shrimp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/currents\/2014\/12\/starring-wild-caught-local-shrimp\/","title":{"rendered":"Starring Wild-Caught, Local Shrimp"},"content":{"rendered":"
Posted Dec. 11, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n The peeled shrimp, which are branded as Carteret Catch product, are packaged into one-pound packets and blast frozen. Photo Vanda Lewis.<\/p><\/div>\n North Carolina Sea Grant and its partners help North Carolina fishermen meet the rising consumer demand for ready-to-cook, local seafood.<\/p>\n Starting this week, consumers in the Triangle can taste the fruits of one such demonstration project \u2014 starring wild-caught, North Carolina shrimp.<\/p>\n Locals Seafood<\/a> \u2014 a retailer and wholesaler of seafood harvested by North Carolina fishermen \u2014 has begun offering frozen and peeled shrimp in one-pound bags. The product is listed in their seafood selection<\/a>, under the Shrimp header.<\/p>\n Most North Carolina shrimp is sold in its shell. However, more restaurant chefs and consumers are demanding the convenience of pre-peeled shrimp. Removing the shells by hand is labor intensive and costly \u2014 and can be quite messy.<\/p>\n I collaborated with Locals Seafood and Mike Frinsko<\/a> and Gary Bullen<\/a>, both from North Carolina Cooperative Extension<\/a>, to conduct a pilot project to determine if consumers would be interested in purchasing frozen and peeled local shrimp.<\/p>\n We worked with Eddie Willis, a Harkers Island fisherman, who provided the shrimp \u2014 and peeling machine. The peeled shrimp, branded as Carteret Catch<\/a>, was vacuum packed in flexible pouches, which were blast frozen.<\/p>\n With each bag sold, the folks at Locals will hand out cards that will ask consumers to complete a brief quality survey. We look forward to your feedback. Maybe you can try this recipe for savory shrimp in parchment<\/a>.<\/p>\n