Shrimp are a delicacy, whether as an appetizer, in soups, or in main courses. They are equally well prepared with lemon or garlic. It is best to eat shrimp fresh from the catch. If that is not possible, you can resort to canned or frozen products. Here are a few tips regarding shrimp:
Improve the taste of shrimp
To get rid of the canned taste of preserved shrimp, let them soak in a mixture of 2 tbsp vinegar and a little sherry for about 15 minutes.
How do the shrimp get into the can?
Anyone living in a port city undoubtedly has the opportunity to buy shrimp fresh from the catch. You can then peel them yourself comfortably at home – it doesn't get any fresher than that. But those who don't have that choice will resort to the frozen variety, the pack from the refrigerated shelf, or canned shrimp at the supermarket. However, experts say: Supermarket shrimp are not recommended. But what is wrong with packaged shrimp?
Actually nothing, except for the fact that the massive shrimp fishing also causes other marine animals to die and the shrimp are sold at exorbitant prices. Why are the prices so high in the first place? Because peeling the shrimp is so laborious? Not really! The price of shrimp is driven up because the crustaceans have to travel almost halfway around the world to reach us in the supermarket. This not only hurts our wallets, but is also a disaster for our climate.
From the North Sea to Africa and back again
When we reach for North Sea shrimp in the refrigerated section, one would hardly suspect that these delicious crustaceans actually had to travel a long journey. The fishermen do indeed catch the shrimp in the North Sea, but before they reach the market, they are sent to Africa to be peeled. In the past, these delicacies even traveled by truck or ship to Poland or Russia – today the path leads to Morocco – the reason: financial transactions.
The machines are not as accurate and are also not as cheap as the peelers in Africa. Yet the machines are not that bad and are available in Northern Germany. However, the interest in the industry to use such machines seems to be more than low, as the costs per kilo of shrimp are €3-€4 higher than if one were to use African workers.
Why is the world trip cheaper?
Even experts confirm that it is cheaper to let the shrimp travel halfway across the globe than to use peeling machines. In low-wage countries, labor costs are simply unbeatable, and a shrimp-peeling machine cannot keep up with that.
Are the shrimp still really fresh from the catch after this journey?
In general, one could say that the consumer is well aware of what they are getting into. That the goods in the freezer or the refrigerated compartment are no longer fresh from the catch, but preserved, is clearly obvious. But what are the facts?
A lot of time passes through catching, processing, and distribution. First, of course, is the catch. At full speed, the fishing nets are dragged across the seabed – how much bycatch is caught here and subsequently dies does not need to be explained in detail, but should be generally known. After the fishing nets are cleared of the wrong catch, the shrimp naturally remain. These are pre-cleaned on board in the "washing system" and then sorted.
The shrimp now spend the rest of their time in refrigeration, are passed on to Africa, and then go back to the factories where they are packaged to finally reach us in the supermarket.
An amicable agreement for the problem would certainly be a quality seal, which shows the consumer whether the product was processed regionally or had to travel halfway around the globe to provide the buyer with a culinary delight. However, such quality seals do not yet exist and would also make the goods more expensive. Until then, the rule is: You can of course continue to buy and enjoy shrimp, but this variant is not recommended, as it harms the environment and nature.
The best and truly fresh-from-the-catch option is to buy directly at the harbor – unpeeled. Then you can say with certainty: these shrimp are fresh and did not have to be processed in Africa.
Image by Janine, meinhaushalt.at
