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Contemporary restaurant menus often list shrimp entrees with descriptions of the ingredients in the dish. Once in awhile you’ll see information on how the shrimp are caught or harvested, such as wild, domestic, imported, pond-raised, or farm-raised shrimp.

“Different shrimp have different flavor profiles, says Eddie Gordon, executive director of Wild American Shrimp, the nonprofit marketing organization for the shrimpers of the South Atlantic and Gulf waters.

“Our shrimp are among the best in the world,” said Tory McPhail, chef at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, at a seminar held at the International Association of Culinary Professionals in April.

“There is so much flavor.”

He was on a panel describing Wild American Shrimp with cookbook author Nathalie Dupree and shrimper Timmy Cheramie (who is featured in the June issue of Southern Living magazine).

The panel noted that “shrimp are what they eat.”

“Where they are caught and what they are eating affects the taste,” said the chef.

Brown shrimp are born in the ocean and float as larvae into inlets. White and pink shrimp are born in estuaries and float out to the ocean.

They said that the domestic shrimp industry is in trouble. Both imported and farm-raised shrimp are flooding the market. In fact 85 percent of the shrimp we eat is imported or farm-raised, according to Mr. Gordon.

There are three kinds of domestic shrimp from the waters of North Carolina to Florida to the Gulf of Mexico and Texas, which are warm water shrimp.

• White shrimp is firm-textured, light, sweet flavor. It is caught off the South Atlantic coast May to December and in the Gulf of Mexico July to December.

• Pink shrimp has a delicate sweet flavor and is caught primarily off the Florida coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico October to May and in the South Atlantic January to May.

• Brown shrimp has a robust flavor with firm, dense meat. It is the primary species in the Gulf of Mexico July to December and is also caught off the South Atlantic coast June to August.

“Not all domestic shrimp caught could be labeled Wild American Shrimp,” says Mr. Gordon.

“We make sure they have the standards and quality of freshness, flavor profile, uniformity of size, appearance, and an ocean-fresh smell.”

The wild-caught American shrimp life cycle is sustainable. It is about one to two years beginning in the nursery grounds of the estuaries and reaching completion after shrimp migrate at more mature life stages to the oceans. The shrimp population replenishes year after year as new shrimp mature and swim to sea.

Flavor profiles

Brown shrimp have a more iodine flavor, according to Mr. McPhail. Thus, the method of cooking brown shrimp is important. He grills them three-quarters of the way and them finishes them and serves them with mushrooms and black truffle butter.

In August the white shrimp are more plentiful. “You can overpower the flavor of white shrimp with spices,” says Mr. Gordon. “Or you can underspice brown shrimp with bolder flavors. You can also over cook shrimp. One of the biggest problems is overcooking.

Cost of Wild American Shrimp is more. “These shrimpers are not subsidized,” said Mr. Gordon. “Imported pond-raised shrimp is often subsidized (depending on the country). We catch ours with boats and nets.”

“Our shrimp doesn’t take medicine to live on - there are no antibiotics,” said Mr. Cheramie.

There are other species caught sporadically in U.S. waters, but they do not make up a significant portion of the shrimp industry. Rock shrimp are more like lobster with a tough hard shell. Royal Red are sweet more like pink shrimp and are caught in the deep waters off Alabama and Mississippi.

Coldwater shrimp is caught in the waters off California, Oregon, Alaska, and Maine, according to Mr. Gordon. They tend to be smaller, salad shrimp.

Black Tiger Shrimp are primarily farmed in Asia as well as Hawaii and parts of the continental U.S. while some are found in the wild. They have a distinctive black and gray striped shell when raw and associated stripes on the meat when peeled, accord to information from Wild American Shrimp. When cooked the shell turns bright red. The higher moisture content for this shrimp means the meat is softer and milder.

Farm-raised/pond-raised shrimp are both domestic and imported. “Aquaculture can be done well if it is done right,” says Mr. Gordon. It needs to be environmentally right and safe for the public.

It will still have a different flavor profile and nutritional profile because the pond-raised has an artificial feed or fish meal.

Regarding imported shrimp, chefs and restaurateurs and consumers want to know the source of the shrimp and the controls on feed so that it is a cleanly, healthy environment.

(Ohio even has a budding freshwater shrimp industry with 30 growers, according to Laura Tiu, aquaculture specialist at Ohio State University. Farmers use Best Management Practices (BMPs) available. They are now stocking ponds. Harvest is in September. Shrimp is sold live via wholesale, festivals, and on the farms.)

Local shrimp

At Rohrs Fish at 5226 Monroe, owner Tom Chipps stocks Wild American Shrimp. “Usually we have pink shrimp, but sometimes we get brown from Florida,” he said. “Texas has the white shrimp. Brown are a stronger flavor.”

“Years ago, we decided to stick with American shrimp.” Prices ranged from $7.95 to $11.95 per pound the week I spoke to him.

Mainstreet Ventures family of restaurants which includes Real Seafood at the Docks and Ciao! buys wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, according to chef Simon Pesusich. “We use Ocean Garden white shrimp,” he says.

Ocean Garden is Mexican wild shrimp with a similar profile and a certification program to the Wild American Shrimp, according to Mr. Gordon.

“Wild shrimp has a tremendous flavor and is sweeter and cleaner,” says Mr. Pesusich.

Wild Mexican shrimp from Ocean Garden is also a product used by Mancy’s Blue Water Grille, according to chef Rob Campbell.

Supermarkets with fresh seafood list the country of origin in the refrigerated case. Also frozen seafood should have the country of origin on packages.

Shrimp can be grilled as in Anise-Orange Shrimp & Scallop Skewers. They can also be fried, sauteed, boiled, broiled, stewed or steamed, writes Paul Johnson in Fish Forever (Wiley, $34.95).

I prefer to remove the dark vein that runs along the back of the shrimp, which is the digestive tract.

Simple Supper Shrimp and Grits is a recipe from Nathalie Dupree. It is made with cooked grits.

Shrimp Scampi is a quick recipe I’ve used for years that is great for parties. Shrimp can be steamed or boiled for appetizers and salads. For a taste of New Orleans, Shrimp Remoulade can be served with a Red or White Remoulade Sauce.

Kathie Smith is The Blade’s food editor. Contact her at food@theblade.com or 419-724-6155.

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