Sand in the Coffee, Vol. 150: the Royal Red, and how to eat one without embarrassing yourself
Myth: a shrimp is a shrimp.
It is not. If you’ve been eating the brown or pink kind in a basket with fries, a Royal Red will rearrange your expectations. Locals talk about them with a reverence usually reserved for a parking spot at Johnson Beach. Here’s how to meet one properly.
what it is
A Royal Red is a deepwater Gulf shrimp, red before it ever sees a pot. It tends to be sweeter and softer than the shrimp you grew up on, and people often compare the taste to lobster or scallop. I’d say that’s close enough to be useful and far enough to be unfair to the shrimp. Ask the kitchen or the dock where theirs came from, and don’t be shy about it. Anyone who sells them well will be glad you asked.
how to order
- Say “steamed.” The best way to taste one is plain: steamed, maybe with a little seasoning, served warm. Boiling a delicate shrimp hard is the quickest way to make it ordinary.
- Ask if they’re in. Availability changes, and a menu that lists them doesn’t guarantee a bucket in the kitchen that day. A quick question beats a disappointed table.
- Order a small amount first. They aren’t the cheapest thing on the menu. Start with a half pound and add more once you know you’re a convert.
- Skip the heavy sauce. A squeeze of lemon, a little melted butter if you must. If the shrimp needs cocktail sauce to taste like anything, something went wrong upstream.
how to eat one
Peel it at the table, like everyone else. The shell comes off easily, and the meat is tender enough that you’ll handle it a little more gently than a regular shrimp. Eat it while it’s warm. That is the entire technique. Resist the urge to turn it into a project.
what to watch for
If you’re cooking them at the rental, the same rule applies: less time, not more. They go from sweet to rubbery fast. Pull them as soon as they’re done, and keep a bowl of ice nearby if you’re not eating them right away. If you’re buying them to cook, ask the seller how fresh they are and how they should be stored. Don’t trust my memory over the person selling you seafood.
the short version
Order them steamed, eat them warm, go easy on the sauce, and ask about availability before you get your heart set on a bucket. And while you’re out, check /happy-hours/ for something cold to go with it.
— Chris
P.S. Know a restaurant, charter, shop, or event we’re missing? Add it — free, Florida side or Alabama side: /submit/
