Tuesdays at Sandhills Market
Starting this Tuesday, June 28, you can find us at the Sandhills Farmers Market from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. It is at the Clemson University Sandhill Research & Education Center (across from the Village at Sandhill) at 900 Clemson Road, Columbia, SC. Just enter the Clemson property and follow the signs to the market. We look forward to serving you at yet another Farmers Market!!!
Hampton County Watermelon Festival
We will be at the Hampton County Watermelon Festival all day on Friday June 24th and Saturday June 25th. Come and look for us at Hampton Auto Center on the corner of 10 Elm Street and Main Street. We will be serving up all kinds of amazing food: Award Winning Gator Bites, Shrimp Baskets, Fish Baskets, Crab Cakes, Wings, BBQ Leg Quarters, BBQ Spare Ribs, Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Hamburgers. We can't wait to see you!!
Pelican Perch Grand Opening - July 1st and 2nd
On July 1st and 2nd our Pelican Perch location at 1412 Yemassee Highway in Varnville will be having their Grand Opening. Hours for the Grand Opening on Friday and Saturday are from 9am to 7pm. We will have the cook trailer out there so you will not have to cook lunch or dinner!! We will be cooking Shrimp & Grits, Fried Shrimp and Steamed Blue Crabs and Shrimp. Please come out and join us at this new retail location!! Permanent hours for this location are Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm. Phone number is (803)914-0773.
Sexy Fish: Shrimp
June 22nd is opening day of Shrimping season in South Carolina - so we celebrate with Shrimp as our Sexy Fish. Shrimp are America’s most valuable and probably most popular seafood. South Carolina has two important shrimp species, brown shrimp and white shrimp. A third species, the pink shrimp, is relatively scarce. Methods of harvest range from large commercial shrimp trawlers to cast nets and drop nets.
Some long-time residents of the Lowcountry may think that they prefer the flavor of one species over another, but taste tests would probably show that few people can really distinguish one species from another by taste alone. Some experts claim that white shrimp taste better than the other species, but the difference is subtle.
All three of the edible shrimp species look very similar but can be distinguished by careful examination of tail colors and subtle body features. Placed side by side, fresh white shrimp appear lighter in body color than brown or pink shrimps. Tail flippers on white shrimp are typically black near the base with bright yellow and green margins, while brown shrimp tails have red, dark green and occasionally light blue pigmentations. Pink shrimp almost always have an azure color on the tail and they usually have a dark red spot on the side of the abdomen. Brown and pink shrimps have grooves along the upper midline of the head and the upper midline of the lower region of the abdomen. The grooves on pink shrimp are slightly narrower than those of brown shrimp. White shrimp do not have grooves and typically have much longer antennae and a long rostrum (horn).
All shrimps have about the same life cycle. Spawning usually occurs in the ocean from near the beaches to several miles offshore. A single female produces between 500,000 and 1,000,000 eggs and may spawn several times. Natural mortality rates are extremely high for larval and juvenile shrimp. Probably less than one or two percent of the eggs spawned will survive to be adult shrimp.
Shrimp have three primary modes of locomotion. While feeding or resting on the bottom, shrimp will use their walking legs for moving short distances. While migrating long distances, shrimp will use their swimming legs. These appendages are located under the abdomen and beat in unison as the shrimp swims. Studies using tags suggest that shrimp may be able to swim two to five miles in a day. The third form of movement is the tail flex. This is a rapid contraction of the strong abdominal muscles that results in a powerful and rapid snap to the tail propelling the shrimp backwards. White shrimp commonly use this method to jump from the water. The tail snap or flick is a defensive mechanism allowing a shrimp to quickly evade predators.
Shrimp are great no matter how you eat them - steamed, grilled, baked, broiled, fried…. If you have any questions about the many ways to eat shrimp, please refer to the movie Forrest Gump (most of which was filmed right here in beautiful Beaufort) – just ask Bubba.
Shrimp & Grits
Recipe from: Captain Craig Reaves
Ingredients
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1 pound Peeled & Deveined Wild Local Shrimp
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½ pound Andouille Sausage - cubed
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½ pound pepper bacon - diced (or other favorite bacon)
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¼ cup green onion
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1 green or red onion for flavor and color
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¼ cup self-rising flour (for roux)
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Self-rising flour for breading shrimp
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¼ cup evaporated milk
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Water
Directions
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Soak shrimp in evaporated milk for 2 hours
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Lightly bread and fry shrimp until golden brown. Set aside on folded paper towels to drain.
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Put bacon and sausage in sauté pan.
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Add self-rising flour when bacon and sausage is fully cooked.
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Simmer and stir to brown roux.
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Add green onions.
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Add water to adjust gravy to desired thickness.
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Add shrimp.
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Serve over South Carolina Stone Ground Grits.
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Cook the grits according to package directions. (Stone Ground Grits available at Sea Eagle Market and at CJ Seafood Express)
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