The sun is beginning to rise a bit earlier and those gorgeous late dock sunsets are happening, and we can only have big smiles about that because it means a new shrimping season is right around the corner! The ever celebrated Royal Red shrimp have arrived from Florida and they are flying out the door! These delectable deep water shrimp are sweet, super tender, and have the slight kiss of saltwater that we all desire in our treats from the sea! The Reds do not have a very long season but they make us all very happy with their brief stay before the White Shrimp season starts back up!
There is always an exciting hustle and bustle happening this time of year as the Captains are busy getting the boats ready for the upcoming season. Some boats will be hauled out to the shipyard to be painted and repaired, and crews are returning to help. It's one of the best times of the year. Excitement is in the air and everyone comes together to help to get ready for the big opening day! This year, the Blessing of the Fleet is April 30. This celebration is to wish the boats and crews a safe and abundant season! It really is one of our favorite days of the year. The boats are all gussied up and sparkle with new paint jobs, friends of friends, and even more friends, and family come together to celebrate commercial shrimping and fishing in the Lowcountry!
Speaking of celebrations, we asked one of our biggest fans and supporters to share a favorite recipe with us for our readers and at home cooks to create themselves. Chef Nathan Hood Culinary Director of restaurant group BASIC PROJECTS, Post House Inn, Sullivan’s Island Fish Camp, and Basic Kitchen, celebrates shrimping in the Lowcountry with fond childhood memories, beautiful shrimp dishes in his restaurants, as well as simple delightful at-home suppers for his family. He is an avid ambassador for sustainability in fishing and shrimping, and if we had an official hype-man for Tarvin Seafood he would be at the top of the list. It is so fun when our chefs share our passion for our relationship with our shrimp! We asked Chef Nathan to share one of his favorite shrimp recipes to cook at home. He told us all about popping the heads of shrimp and eating them right then and there as a kid growing up in Mount Pleasant & Isle of Palms. Chef Nathan has given us his Brown Butter Shrimp Roll recipe, and he wants you Southerners (wink, wink) to bear with him on a few things regarding mayo, and his New England style recipe inspired by his wife’s home town roots!
