Celebrate National Shrimp Day
Over half of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is one of only three varieties: shrimp, salmon and canned tuna. And of the roughly 15 pounds of seafood and shellfish eaten by Americans, the tiny crustaceans take the top spot with close to four pounds of shrimp making their way into the average American’s diet each year—compared to just over two pounds each for all varieties of salmon and canned tuna.
Seem like a lot? Not to most shellfish connoisseurs, but the answer, like most answers to perception-based questions, depends on just that—one’s own perception of what a lot is. For comparison sake, and maybe just in case you end up on a gameshow some day and might need to know, in 2015 the average American ate 1,996.3 pounds of food of which over 600 was dairy, 480 vegetables, 175 flour and cereal products, 250 fruits, 104.8 red meat, 106 poultry, 29 French fries and, “statistics show that Americans eat twice as much cheese and an almost equal amount of apples, watermelon and turkey as they do fish and shellfish annually.”
So … is eating four pounds of shrimp a year a lot?
Spend anytime searching the internet and you’ll find dozens of chefs and party-planners alike suggesting how many shrimp to serve when planning a company dinner, wedding reception, holiday party etc. And most, as I found out, agree that you should plan for eight to nine shrimp per person—that’s assuming you purchase the “large” variety (not medium or extra-large)—which correlates to 31-35 shrimp per pound. So you do the math … doesn’t seem like it would take very long to eat your annual consumption, now does it.
As for me, I’m a big seafood fan and will eat just about anything from the ocean and rivers alike, so four pounds of shrimp seems like a drop in the bucket—literally. And to celebrate National Shrimp Day, although there are plenty of fabulous restaurants where I could venture and enjoy any number of shrimp-laden dishes, I plan to buy some shrimp for a local fishmonger and grill them—all four pounds of them—with nothing more than a little white wine, olive oil and garlic.
Do tell … how will you celebrate National Shrimp Day? If you want some good recipes, try these out from our website. Also, check out the farms listed.
Shrimp Sandwiches with Pickled Slaw and Spicy Mayo
Spiralized Carrot Spaghetti with Shrimp And Shaved Asparagus
Coconut Fried Shrimp with Orange Marmelade
