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Ref:679/03 |
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UNITED STATES
- Apr 14, 2003 |
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US
passes the raw prawn |
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After decades of stringing along behind tuna, shrimp
has landed in the No. 1 spot as America’s most widely
consumed seafood.
Abundant supply and resulting favourable market prices
allow this ever-popular favourite to show up on menus
in nearly every industry segment. Shrimp is as
comfortable at quick-service and fast-casual chains as
it is in B&I, colleges, casual dining and
upper-echelon four stars.
As for how to prepare the tender, sweet crustaceans,
chefs and operators have a sea of possibilities. The
rising tides of bold flavours and ethnic cuisines
coupled with the versatility of shrimp translate to
great creativity in the kitchen. Aided by cachet that
does not intimidate, chefs find shrimp fits
comfortably in any setting, making the seafood all the
more appealing.
“When people order shrimp, they get a taste of
extravagance without being extravagant,” says Tod
Barber, managing partner of Shaw’s Seafood Grill, a
division of Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You
Enterprises Inc.
Although shrimp consumption has increased steadily for
more than a decade, it consistently trailed tuna as
the most popular seafood. In 2001, however, shrimp
surged ahead for the first time as Americans consumed
850 million pounds, according to the National
Fisheries Institute in Arlington, Va. Such growth
comes from expanded and improved aquaculture, higher
yields and better consistency of product. Consumption
also has risen, the institute says, in response to
restaurants using shrimp as a vehicle to deliver more
diverse fare.
For many operators, shrimp is the sea’s chicken.
Amenable to most preparations and found in just about
all cuisines, shrimp marries well with contemporary
applications of ethnic spices and seasonings. And
depending on where it is harvested, the flavour can
range from mild to full-bodied.
“People love shrimp because the texture is right, the
taste is there and customers are familiar with it,”
says Kenny Bowers, executive chef for Dallas-based
Rockfish Seafood Grill. “It takes on about any flavour
so chefs can do almost anything with it. Many
customers also regard shrimp as a delicacy, so there’s
perceived value.”
Such versatility allows shrimp to play a significant
role at Rockfish, which features a globally inspired
menu. Served tableside, an appetizer of shrimp is
tossed with avocado and tomato salsa and presented in
a cone-shaped glass. As an entrée, shrimp finds
company with andouille sausage, red peppers and onions
in Cajun cream sauce over linguine. Also popular is
shrimp parmigiana: batter-fried, topped with
mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and served with
linguine and marinara sauce.
SHRIMP BAIT
Shrimp is heavily represented on appetizer menus. At
many operations, including Rockfish, popcorn shrimp is
the most popular use of the shellfish. The crispy
fried nuggets often are served with traditional
cocktail sauce but other accompaniments, including
options such as Cajun cream or champagne butter, also
appear.
When larger shrimp are called for, appetizer portions
often are the most practical way to maintain a price
that satisfies customers and profit margin.
Marinated shrimp and chorizo sausage are threaded onto
sugar cane, fire-roasted and served as an appetizer at
Cuban-inspired Agozar in New York City. The Girl & the
Gaucho in Glen Ellen, Calif., offers paprika prawns
with mango-mint mojo while recently opened Last Supper
Club in San Francisco serves Iron Skillet Shrimp
Scampi.
“In an appetizer, shrimp is the star so there’s no
need to add a lot to it,” says Salvatore Fristensky,
chef at Rouge, a Southern-inspired restaurant in
Boston. “Customers order the dish because they want
shrimp not because it happens to contain other
ingredients. Our goal is to be simple, direct, bold
and create dishes full of flavour.”
Fristensky’s approach is apparent in the operation’s
barbecue shrimp appetizer. Large shrimp, 16 to 20 per
pound, are tossed in a Creole spice mix of cayenne,
oregano, thyme, rosemary, onion and garlic. They are
seared and then cooked in barbecue sauce made with
shrimp shells, lemon, garlic, hot-pepper sauce and
Worcestershire sauce. Finished with butter, the
appetizer is garnished only with a grilled lemon.
SHELLING OUT
Though shrimp shows up most frequently in appetizers,
purchasing strategies, high volume and smaller profit
margins allow shrimp to star in entrées. Often,
limited-time-only shrimp dishes can satisfy customer
demand for the shellfish while meeting a concept’s
goal to drive traffic.
At O’Charley’s, based in Nashville, Tenn., for
example, a recent promotion featured an entrée of
barbecue shrimp sautéed in chipotle barbecue sauce.
Regular menu options offered eight fried shrimp as an
entrée or grilled skewered shrimp served with butter
and rice.
Shaw’s Barber says their strategy to ensure the best
prices and product consistency calls for placing a
full year’s order at the start of the shrimp season.
In order to make the best purchase, Shaw’s culinary
team prepares 12 or so varieties of shrimp, including
wild and farm-raised from various parts of the world,
using each in three to four applications. Only after
judging product on a variety of key factors—quality,
price, texture, flavour and consistency—are shrimp
orders placed.
At Shaw’s Crab House in Schaumburg, Ill., shrimp is
used in as many as 15 dishes in its Red Shell Lounge.
Although every size comes into play, from popcorn to
jumbo varieties, 20-per-pound shrimp are most often
used. Wild Mexican brown shrimp from the Gulf of
Mexico anchor red Thai curry shrimp and Sichuan cashew
shrimp. Shrimp also feature in dumplings as well as in
combination plates paired with other proteins.
“We offer such variety because of the huge popularity
of shrimp,” says Barber.
ETHNIC INTERPRETATIONS
Shrimp ranks high among the most popular global
ingredients, welcomed as much in Latin and Mexican
restaurants as in Asian and Italian concepts. At Zuni
Cafe in San Francisco, shrimp are cooked in a complex,
flavourful romesco sauce while San Clemente,
Calif.-based Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market
serves the shellfish Cajun barbecue style with rice
and Cajun butter sauce.
For Flik International Corp., the Rye Brook,
N.Y.-based contract foodservice division of Compass
Group, shrimp is a good fit for its monthly Around the
World promotion.
“This special features ethnic ingredients in dishes
such as Indian curries, Malaysian specialties, Chinese
rice bowls and Vietnamese noodles,” says Corporate
Chef Nicole Satin. “Because shrimp can be pricier than
other fish, we use it most often in special promotions
where we can charge a higher check average.”
Successful offerings include Thai shrimp-and-fish
dumplings in green curry. For Malaysian shrimp satay,
the shellfish are finely chopped, seasoned, wrapped
around a sugar cane and grilled. The dish is served
with Vietnamese rice pancake.
STRETCHING OUT
Shrimp’s perception as a luxury food makes it an ideal
way to add value. Crunchy fried shrimp served with
grilled sirloin steak at Braintree, Mass.-based Ground
Round Grill & Bar, contribute to the entrée’s
popularity. Given the never-ending passion for fried
food, Etta’s Seafood in Seattle makes fried ginger
spring rolls more attractive by pairing the appetizer
with fried shrimp.
“There are a lot of ways to fit shrimp into a menu,
justify its price and stay in line with food costs,”
says Satin. “Each client has a different ‘point of
pain’—the menu price beyond which customers won’t
spend.”
To ensure adequate profit margins, Satin uses shrimp
in extended-item applications. “For us, that means
shrimp in a stir-fry or pasta dish, where the amount
of protein guests receive is two to three ounces
versus six.”
Partnered with ingredients that moderate its food
cost, shrimp easily can star as an entrée. At San
Francisco’s Washington Square Bar & Grill, grilled
rosemary shrimp combines with creamy risotto, saffron,
tomato, artichokes and basil. Vivaca Grill in Mountain
View, Calif., matches shrimp and scallops with penne
pasta, shaved fennel and tomatoes in a rich tomato
sauce.
Spurred on by shrimp’s appeal to diners, Rockfish’s
Bowers is on the lookout for more ways to incorporate
shrimp into main courses.
“The use of shrimp is in its beginning stages,” he
says. “We will look at dishes that are easy to execute
and have mass appeal but need a twist to make them
exciting.” |
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