Choosing And Buying Gourmet Seafood - Wild American Shrimp

When you select items for a seafood feast, wild caught American shrimp are popular among gourmet cooks. Shrimp are not only known for outstanding flavor but they can be an important part of a healthy diet.

Wild American shrimp are delicious steamed, boiled, grilled, fried and in recipes as scampi. They are also popular as an appetizer as shrimp cocktail, bisque and salads. They also freeze well and can be purchased in large numbers, are processed and excess amounts frozen for later meals.

Shrimps are usually low in fat and calories and has no carbohydrates or trans fats. They contain vitamins B3, B6, B12, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids and are sources of tryptophan, selenium, protein and minerals including iron, phosphorus, zinc and copper.

American species are white (Litopenaeus setiferus), brown (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), pink (Penaeus duorarum) and Royal Red (Pleoticus or Hymenopenaeus robustus robustus) Rock (Sicyonia brevirostris) and Arctic (Pandalus borealis).

Shrimp are sized by "count". Number is the average number of fish per pound. This applies to both full and heads-off products. For example, mean headless shrimp of 16/20 count there are 16 to 20 headless product per pound. Responsible for the headless product typically ranging from 16/20 (large) to 60/70 (Small). Pacific shrimp is even lower, with estimates around 100 to 140 whole shrimp per pound.

Wild American shrimp is also a good choice in terms of sustainability. Many American fish has been approved by the ethical harvesting techniques.

The Wild American Shrimp Certification Program certifies that the warm water, wild caught shrimp from U.S. coastal waters meet the high quality and consistency. Certified Wild American Shrimp deserve special labeling. Participation in the certification program is available to harvesters, processors, distributors, retailers, grocers and restaurants.

Other American Fisheries has received international recognition. Oregon's pink shrimp fishery has been the world's first sustainable shrimp certification under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification program.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which operates the world's leading independent certification program for sustainable fisheries, and independent certifier PANEL Certification Inc., awarded Oregon shrimp its certification the 6 December 2007. The measure differs Oregon pink shrimp fishery as a sustainable and well managed fishing. The Marine Stewardship Council certification also gives Oregon shrimp will be sold with the coveted blue MSC label indicates a sustainable fishery.

The Marine Stewardship Council is an organization that works to improve the health of the world's oceans and to help create a sustainable global seafood market. MSC fulfills its mission by certifying that the fishery meets its sustainability standards and developing market demand for certified seafood. MSC model is based on consumers rewarding sustainable fisheries by choosing seafood that comes from certified sustainable fisheries.

Shrimp, also known as bay or salad shrimp are small (100-140 full per lb). They are harvested with advanced trawling methods. Pink MSC certified shrimp delivered to the beach for cooking, peeling and freezing, resulting in an extremely fresh products of excellent quality.

The proliferation of high quality, making healthy and sustainable American shrimp them an excellent choice for seafood lovers.