Monday, March 24, 2014

Bubba's Favourite Food

Remember "Bubba" in the movie Forest Gump and how he went on and on about shrimp?  We got a first hand opportunity to discover for ourselves the fascination "shrimping" held for Bubba!

Our friend, Ray, organized a very interesting outing on Valentine's Day and graciously included  7 couples from the park.  Doubling up, we piled into 4 vehicles and drove about 80 miles to the Port of Brownsville where we participated in a Texas Gold Shrimp Tour.  The tours are given by an enterprising young man whose family has been shrimping for several years.  Shrimp season is closed during February & March leaving the 15 vessel fleet inactive, thus, unproductive.  During this time frame each vessel is routinely overhauled assuring the 20 ft wide, 70 ft long boats are properly outfitted with sound engines and workable rigging so they are generally seaworthy, ready to go, when the season re-opens.  In an effort to educate the general public, including visiting Winter Texans, this young man came up with the brilliant idea to offer tours which explain the shrimping industry in Texas.

Using the large property adjacent to their marine repair business, which abuts a private harbour, a large pole barn was erected.  Over 100 people can comfortably sit at banquet tables, watch an interesting, educational power point presentation and listen to the well delivered narrative regarding the third generation family run business.  After an introduction to the shrimping industry in general, the tourists are divided into two groups.  One group remains under shelter to learn about processing procedures while the second group boards a moored trawler to see first hand where the four man crew lives, and works, while on their average 45 days at sea.
  Wow!  Talk about small, close quarters!!  We couldn't imagine spending one night aboard let alone 45!  Naturally the working area with all the rigging, extra nets, buoys, brine tanks and freezer compartment where the catch is preserved comprises about 3/4 of the vessel.  The galley and bunks and wheelhouse seemed minuscule.  No comforts of home aboard these boats!

We learned the crew normally "fish" during the night when shrimp are more active.  Once the captain has chosen a location, the bottom of the sea is dredged as the boat trawls along at 12 mph scooping the shrimp into huge nets.  (Shrimp live about 4-6 inches under the seabed so have to be "dug up".)  When the nets are filled to capacity they are hauled up and emptied onto the deck.  At this time the  "header" crew members spring into action.  They sit amongst the catch, pick up individual shrimp in each hand then using their thumbs snap the heads from the shrimp bodies.  The heads pile up on the deck as the mutated bodies are flung into plastic containers.  These eventually get dumped into the brine tank where they go through a lengthy process of soaking, then being rinsed numerous times with fresh water before being frozen in a separate refrigerated hold. The boats leave shore carrying 3,000 gallons of fresh water to cleanse the catch!  The "headers" get paid about $25/100 pounds of shrimp. We were fascinated to watch how quickly the "header" could decapitate those shrimp!

Following the lecture and boat tour all the tourists reassembled in the barn where the patriarch of the business had been boiling fresh shrimp.  We were treated to a "de-veining/shelling" demonstration before being fed a delectable appetizer of fresh wild-caught Gulf shrimp ... complete with home made dipping sauce made from Grandma's favourite recipe.

Besides developing a new respect for commercial fishermen we came away realizing how to important it is to check while shopping for packages labelled "Wild Caught Shrimp".  Without those words the shrimp have been farm raised, usually in Asian countries, thereby competing with the local fishing industry which is suffering as a consequence.   It was also pointed out that farm shrimp are usually not as healthy nor as firm and tasty when cooked.  Something we can personally attest to having tasted first hand some of Bubba's favourite food!


1 comment:

  1. Excellent write-up. Feels like we were right there! Again.

    ReplyDelete