Here's Looking at You, Char

Facing forwad

I got another cooking lesson this week.  I bought my first fresh shrimp from the fishmonger--I love that word--to serve as aperos (appetizers) at a dinner party. I have had some good frozen ones, but wanted these to be fresh.  Come to think of it, I am not sure when I have ever purchased truly fresh from the sea shrimp, not ones that have been flash frozen ...maybe once in South Carolina at the shrimp boat docks.

I asked the fishmonger when I should cut the heads off--before or after cooking them.  He looked at me quizzically and gave me a rapid-fire dripping with a southern French accent  answer that made no sense to me.  I thanked him and went on about my marketing.  I would get to the bottom of this elsewhere.

When I stopped in at the tabac, Marie's sister was there and I asked her for help.  In true French fashion, everyone else who came in to the store in the next 15 minutes had some input as to the best way to prepare shrimp.  We opened up the bag, examined the little critters and finally, the verdict.

These shrimp were already cooked. Since I was not going to use them in a hot appetizer, I should just go home and twist off their little heads, shell them and keep them cool until it was time to serve them.

 A Closer Look

Apparently most shrimp are sold like this--already steamed with their heads on.  No wonder the fishmonger had looked at me oddly when I asked him about cooking them.  I would like to think that I would have figured that out on my own, but how wonderful it is to have this entire support network of French people who love to give me culinary advice. All those customers in that tabac probably went home that afternoon for lunch and brought with them the tale of this American woman and the shrimp, and how they were able to set her straight as to the finer points of shrimp cooking.  

The shrimp were delicious--sweet and tasting faintly of the sea.  I found that I could rip their little heads off with not one trace of squeamishness.  Growing up on a little farm and raising your own Sunday dinner chickens will do that for a person.  I learned that I have to be more attentive to the shells--these were not as tough as those already frozen and are easily missed in the shelling process.  This particular batch had eaten well, so their black lines were plump and easily removed.  The beheading process is now de-mystified....

Aperos for 3!!

Who knows, maybe one day I will attempt the calamari!