Small Shrimp Pack Big Flavor!



August 10, 2022

It’s common behavior to automatically reach for the largest, juiciest-looking shrimp you can find when sourcing ingredients for your next shrimp dish. However, did you know that smaller sizes of shrimp can be just as delicious?

Smaller-sized shrimp aren’t just the “shrimp” of shrimp.

Small shrimp (less than 61-70 size) are more tender and are sweeter to the taste than their larger counterparts and can be a great main dish to be used in recipes for pasta, salads, burgers, casseroles, gumbos, jambalaya, and more. They are a tasty addition to any recipe to liven up your meal. Some people even pop them in their seafood stews. You can even fry them up Calabash style. Any recipe calling for chicken can be easily adapted for shrimp. The possibilities really are endless!

And whenever you buy those small shrimp, make sure you check to label to make sure you are buying wild-caught American shrimp rather than imported shrimp, which can contain chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, and residue. Just double-check the fine print to make sure that you’ve chosen wild-caught and American!


Try this recipe with small shrimp:

Bow Ties with Shrimp, Spinach, and Feta

Ingredients:Wild American Shrimp Recipes - Bow Tie Pasta with Shrimp - Carla Snyder

1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 cups [480 ml] vegetable broth
2 lemons
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb [455 g] bow tie pasta
1 lb [455 g] small to medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 oz [230 g] baby spinach
8 oz [230 g] feta cheese, crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. On a large cutting board, chop the onion and mince the garlic in separate piles. Combine the vegetable broth and 11/2 cups [360 ml] water in a large liquid measuring cup, then grate the zest from one of the lemons into the cup. Squeeze the juice from both lemons into the cup.
  2. Heat a 12-in [30.5-cm] skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and sauté until it begins to soften for about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant.
  3. Pour in the broth mixture and add the pasta, pressing down on the pasta to submerge it. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the pasta for about 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring every now and then. It shouldn’t be completely tender yet. If the pasta isn’t submerged, add another 1/2 cup [120 ml] water.
  4. Stir in the shrimp and continue to cook, stirring, until the shrimp are almost cooked through for about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach in batches, adding more as each previous bunch wilts, and then stir in the cheese. This will take a few minutes and the pasta and shrimp will have a chance to tenderize. There should be a little sauce at the bottom of the pan. If not, stir in another 1/4 cup [60 ml] water to juice it up. Taste and season with salt and pepper if it needs it.
  5. Heap the pasta onto heated plates and serve immediately. It’s best when really hot.

 

Did you know that Americans eat an average of 1.5 billion pounds of shrimp every year?

 

This Deviled Eggs recipe is perfect for small shrimp:

JOJO’S DEVILLED EGGS WITH GULF-CAUGHT SHRIMP

Ingredients:Deviled Egg with Shrimps

1/4 pound wild-caught American shrimp, boiled and chopped
1 dozen boiled eggs
1 teaspoon pickle relish
1 teaspoon onion
1 teaspoon celery
1 teaspoon green onion
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions:

  1. Take yellows of eggs and mix all ingredients together
  2. Add salt and pepper, to taste
  3. Add the mixture to the boiled egg whites
  4. Sprinkle with paprika.

Shrimp are a great healthy choice for any meal, and you can never go wrong with throwing together any type of shrimp dish. In fact, they are a great source of Omega 3s, which are important to healthy aging.

There’s a reason why so many shrimp are consumed every year! Shrimp make a great meal any time and can be cooked in a number of ways. Try grilling, boiling, steaming, or baking them for a healthy but still delicious option for your next get-together!


Remember, wild-caught American shrimp have better taste, texture and better quality, which make them better for you and your family.

Have a favorite recipe that uses smaller-sized shrimp? Share it with us here or on Facebook!

Check out more recipes using Wild American Shrimp on our Recipes Page! Click HERE to order wild-caught American shrimp for yourself or wholesale to be shipped anywhere in the country!