Ask a foodie: ABSeafood Brings Nobility to Town with Royal Red Shrimp

As their Facebook page says, ABSeafood is "owned and operated by fisherman from the Gulf Coast." What this means for you and me is that approximately every six weeks, we can taste the bounty of the Gulf and not have to go any farther away than Cape Girardeau or Sikeston.

A white refrigerated van sat in front of James Auto Body & Glass in Cape Girardeau on Feb. 2. It boasted a simple pop up canopy, a plastic folding table filled with seafood spices and Cajun seasonings and a canvas chair with a white board of prices. Inside the van were crates and bags full of fresh seafood, driven up from the Gulf of Mexico. I watched the people in line ahead of me receive their orders, and the seafood was packed simply, often in resealable plastic zipper bags: bags full of beautiful orange-fleshed fish, bags of shrimp, bags of crabs and scallops and hand made fresh crab cakes, shucked and unshucked fresh oysters. It was a seafood-palooza!

Earlier in the week, I had seen a random Facebook post advertising ABSeafood was going to be in town, and I was excited. My husband and I have often talked about driving down to the Gulf with a cooler and stocking up on fresh, beautiful seafood, the kind of things that are hard to find here in land-locked Missouri. And now, we don't have to!

ABSeafood had many different delicacies for sale, from fresh jumbo Gulf wild-caught shrimp, to various kinds of fish fillets like grouper. They also sell Boudin, which are meat and rice stuffed sausages, kind of like brats but spiced much differently and with a more delicate texture. Conecuh sausage is also offered, the traditional sausage used in a good ol' Cajun boil. Not available yet, but soon, will be live crawfish (crawdads to me), so if you want an authentic Cajun boil, they will have every single component you need to make it amazing. I, however, had eyes only for the Royal Red Shrimp.

If you have never heard of Royal Reds and you love shrimp, I am about to rock your world. Royal Reds haven't been well known for very long, culturally speaking, only since the mid-90's. Fishermen have to travel about 60 miles off of the coast to find them, as they live in deep, cool water. Absolutely enormous, and with a sweet and salty taste comparable to lobster, Royal Reds are heavenly, and that is not a term I use loosely.

Pile of cooked Royal Red Shrimp, served with melted butter.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

As a lover of all foods from the sea, Royal Reds are simply my favorite seafood ever, period. End of discussion.

After doing some research, I have found only a few fishermen are licensed to fish for them, and the shrimp are immediately frozen after they are caught because of the distances the shrimpers have to travel to get back to shore.

The Royal Reds I bought from ABSeafood were, indeed, frozen (unlike their Jumbo Gulf shrimp, which were fresh). I brought them home and set them in my fridge to thaw. The next night, they were ready to be cooked. I took a pair of kitchen scissors and cut down the center of their back. All shrimp have a "vein," which is really just a polite way of saying digestive track. While not dangerous, the idea of eating shrimp poop is gross, and will leave a gritty sandy taste between your teeth.

After cutting down their back, the vein is exposed and you can just pull it out. Rinse the cut well with water, and they are ready.

Most shrimp have a built in thermometer. They are done when they turn red. Royal Reds, however, are already red when raw, so you simply have to keep a closer eye on them. I don't like to boil mine. The flesh of a Royal Red is delicate, and like most shrimp, will turn rubbery if overdone. Sauteed in a pan with butter, med-high for two minutes a side, the Royal Reds were done and ready to be served. I serve mine shell-on and everyone peels their own.

Submitted by Rebecca LaClair Seafood feast, with scallops and Royal Red Shrimp purchased from ABSeafood, fresh from the Gulf.

Royal Reds are so sweet and so tasty, you don't want to drown them in cocktail sauce. Dip them in melted butter like you would lobster, and enjoy. They are beautiful, delicious and a true treat.