Savoring Shrimp: A louisiana way of life

Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kebobs, shrimp Creole, shrimp gumbo, pan-fried, deep-fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That, that’s about it. 
 

– Private Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue in Forrest Gump.

Each time I drive down to the docks to buy freshly caught shrimp right off the boat, I always think about the movie Forrest Gump and Tom Hanks’ hilarious role as a shrimp boat captain. In the 1994 comedy, Gump makes a pretty penny going shrimping after hurricane Carmen hits the Gulf. His boat is the only one to survive. He buys an entire fleet with “Captain Dan” and makes a fortune with their Bubba Gump Shrimp company. “It’s a household name,” Gump says. “We got more money than Davy Crockett.”

If only that had been the case for Louisiana shrimpers after the 2005 hurricane season, which devastated shrimp boats and processing warehouses. But that is why we go to the movies.

The shrimp industry has taken financial hits in recent years, including the BP oil spill in 2010. Most recently, it has had an ongoing battle over turtle mortalities. First one thing, then another. The greatest threat to the industry has been unfair competition from foreign producers who have dumped low-priced shrimp on the U.S. market.

Thank goodness we still have festivals to celebrate our beloved shrimp, such as the Delcambre Shrimp Festival this month, which heralds the most productive of Acadiana’s shrimp boat fleets.

The entire third weekend in August is devoted to honoring this economic lifeblood of Delcambre, the only town in the state that sits in two parishes. Part of the town is in Vermilion Parish and the other part is in Iberia Parish. The Delcambre Canal (Bayou Carlin) links the community with the bounty of seafood found in the Gulf of Mexico. The harbor thrives with vessels of every description, especially shrimp boats.

Louisiana shrimpers have been putting up a fight to salvage their way of life this year. On June 24, the Louisiana Shrimp Association (LSA) sponsored a rally on the steps of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge to lobby Louisiana representatives and senators for political support. Hundreds of shrimpers from Acadiana to New Orleans showed up in response to environmentalists’ threat to sue over increased mortality rates of sea turtles.

“Shrimpers are not responsible for spikes in turtle mortality during and after the BP oil disaster in 2010 and 2011,” LSA president Clint Guidry wrote in a statement. He added that the current low shrimp prices spurred by market share loss and negative public perception regarding seafood safety are directly tied to the oil spill, and that shrimpers and their families are asking for help to have BP and the Gulf Coast claims facility compensate them for the losses incurred.

In light of the lingering public perception that Louisiana’s shrimp still aren’t safe to eat due to the BP oil spill, leaders of Louisiana’s shrimp business, the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, have launched a new group to strategically develop practices and profitability for Louisiana shrimpers.

They are taking seafood safety measures a step further by developing an unprecedented certification program that traces seafood handling from boat to market. They believe that certification will give wild-caught Louisiana shrimp a significant competitive advantage as a premium product over the massive influx of foreign farm-raised shrimp, which are often of questionable origin.

Louisiana shrimp are already the most tested and approved shrimp on the U.S. market today as a result of safety concerns. None of the shrimp tested by federal, state, or established independent laboratories have shown any safety issues this year.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) says the levels of contaminants currently being found in Gulf seafood are so low, the average consumer would have to eat extreme amounts of seafood (63 pounds of Gulf shrimp each day for five years) before approaching a level that even slightly nears a health risk. “Restoring public perception of Louisiana seafood is crucial for our seafood industry,” says LDWF secretary Robert Barham.

Meanwhile, the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) has led the battle against the cheap foreign imports. The SSA claims that several foreign governments give subsidies to their shrimp producers to artificially stimulate shrimp exports beyond market demand. According to the U.S. government, certain countries are falsely labeling their shrimp to avoid paying the antidumping duties.

There have been positive developments recently, including “country of origin” labels that are now required on all raw seafood imports. More and more people are concerned with the quality of the seafood they eat, and they should be. Some of the imports contain dangerous chemicals and other components.

Although the price for shrimp has recently stabilized, it is still artificially low, which means most Louisiana shrimpers are having a hard time making it. They are being paid 1960s prices for their shrimp but have 2011 expenses, such as rising fuel costs.

Louisiana shrimpers may be able to weather the deluge of hurricanes, and they can even survive an oil spill by extra diligence in their shrimping techniques. However, if unfair foreign competition continues to drive the price of shrimp so low that they can’t even make enough money on a good catch to pay for fuel costs, some families will go out of business.

The best thing we can do as consumers to support our shrimping industry, which has been a way of life to many families for generations, is to buy only Louisiana shrimp. It also helps to show up at the myriad shrimp and seafood festivals around the state and buy their local seafood.

This month, people will be kicking up their heels at the fais-do-do street dances and eating plenty of freshly caught Gulf shrimp during the Delcambre Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet, held Wednesday, August 17 through Sunday, August 21.

There are shrimp queen contests, food booths, carnival rides and concessions, a shrimp cook-off on Saturday, and street dancing with daily and nightly music by local Cajun bands and national recording artists. On Sunday, there is a 10 am fisherman’s mass at the shrimp festival building followed by the traditional blessing of the fleet and a fais-do-do under the pavilion with live entertainment until 4 pm, when the concessions close.

While visiting the area, check out nearby Avery Island and its famous 250-acre Jungle Garden and Bird City. You can expect to see acres of beautiful flowers in addition to alligators, deer, and raccoons that live in the area around the gardens. Rip Van Winkle Gardens, situated near the shore of Lake Peigneur, is another great family attraction. You can stroll through the lush gardens and visit the historic Joseph Jefferson home.

There are several good restaurants near Delcambre that serve delicious shrimp dishes, from fine dining establishments to little roadside eateries. In New Iberia, check out the Bon Creole lunch counter and order one of their overstuffed shrimp po-boys while seated at the hand-made cypress tables. At the Boiling Point, the boiled shrimp are huge, served with potatoes and corn and are spiced just right. Elegant Clementine’s offers live music weekends and delicious shrimp remoulade with fried green tomatoes; also try the tasty tasso coconut shrimp with a spicy vinaigrette for dipping at the bar. The no-frills Guiding Star just outside New Iberia offers good boiled shrimp spiced with pepper pulp from the nearby Tabasco plant. At Taste-N-Sea, a Cajun-Creole-Soul Food joint, get the shrimp stew during the Friday night buffet.

If you are traveling on Highway 90, Delcambre is situated directly between New Iberia and Abbeville, where seafood restaurants abound. Follow the culinary trail to the lovely Riverfront restaurant overlooking the Vermilion Bayou in Abbeville, and order the shrimp “trinity” of fried shrimp, grilled shrimp, and stuffed shrimp served with two sides; ask for the cabbage and tasso, and the corn maque choux. Just down the street across the drawbridge is Shuck’s Seafood House. Miss Dot’s shrimp patties are to die for and so are her bulbous stuffed shrimp; also try the “sassy” shrimp appetizer drizzled with a Steen’s cane syrup pepper glaze. Go hungry.

Despite recent economic challenges among shrimpers, the seafood restaurants in this outstanding culinary region are immutable. Local families are in it for the long haul. In the words of Forrest Gump, “Mamma said you gotta put the past behind you before you can move on.” Looking forward as always, the fun-loving, hard-working families of Acadiana continue to support the seafood industry that is a source of pride for Louisiana. ✦