NATIONAL SHRIMP DAY

Each year on May 10th, National Shrimp Day recognizes America’s favorite seafood. Americans eat more shrimp than any other seafood, and this is the day to celebrate this delicious seafood.

We use the word “prawn” loosely to describe any large shrimp, sometimes known as “jumbo shrimp.”  Some countries use the word “prawn” exclusively for all shrimp.

Preparing the shrimp for consumption usually involves removing the head, shell, tail, and “sand vein.” There are many ways to cook shrimp. Standard methods of preparation include baking, boiling, broiling, sauteing, frying, and grilling. Cooking time is delicate for shrimp, and they are at their best when not overcooked.

A healthy food, shrimp, is low in calories and high in omega-3, calcium, iodine, and protein levels.  Shrimp is also known to be considered good for the circulatory system.

 Popular North America Shrimp Dishes:
  • Seafood Gumbo:  A stew or soup that probably originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century.  Seafood gumbo typically consists of a strongly-flavored stock, shrimp and crab meat (sometimes oysters), a thickener, and seasoning vegetables. Cooks categorize Gumbo by the type of thickener used: okra, the Choctaw spice, file powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves), or roux, the French base made of flour and fat.
  • Shrimp CocktailThe Golden Gate served shrimp cocktails before any other restaurant. Their menu listed shrimp cocktails for .50 cents in 1959. It is now a Las Vegas cliché. Called the “Original Shrimp Cocktail” on the menu, it is a favorite among tourists and the locals. The original Shrimp Cocktail consists of a regular-sized sundae glass filled with small salad shrimp and topped with a dollop of cocktail sauce.
  • Shrimp DeJonghe: A specialty of Chicago, it is a casserole of the whole, peeled shrimp blanketed in soft, garlic, sherry-laced bread crumbs. Restaurants often serve it as an appetizer or a main course. It originated in the late 19th or early 20th century at the DeJonghe’s Hotel and Restaurant.
  • Shrimp Scampi: This dish has its own day on April 29, and it is cooked in butter, garlic, lemon juice, and white wine.

Shrimp and other shellfish are among the most common food allergens.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalShrimpDay

Celebrate this fantastic food day by making your favorite shrimp dish. Need some ideas?  As Bubba Blue from the movie Forest Gump would say, “Shrimp cocktail, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, broiled shrimp, spicy shrimp…”  Be sure to share your favorite shrimp dish using #NationalShrimpDay.

NATIONAL BAKED SCALLOPS DAY

March 12th is a food holiday celebrating a popular delicacy, the scallop.  National Baked Scallops Day celebrates the unique Flavor and enjoyment of this shellfish.

Scallops are a cosmopolitan family and can be found in all of the world’s oceans.  They are one of the most popular shellfish in the world and highly prized as a food source.

There are two fleshy parts of the scallop that are usually sold at market for human consumption. The adductor muscle is the white medallion of meat which is rich and sweet. This is the piece that is most familiar as the  “scallop” we see on a menu.

There is also the coral or the roe which can range in color from pale coral to bright orange. This crescent-shaped piece is usually discarded before the scallop is sold at market because it may contain toxins. However, sometimes it is sold attached to the adductor muscle. It is bitter and some say it cuts the richness of the rest of the scallop.

These meaty mollusks are very low in fat and are delicious prepared in a variety of ways.  Baking them omits much of the butter and fat that otherwise go into cooking this lean, white seafood.

Baked scallops are often found served as a delicious entree, however, they are also known and loved as an appetizer.

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HOW TO OBSERVE

Try baking some scallops at home.

Use #BakedScallopsDay to post on social media.