All About Food: Take care when cooking with shrimp

I have come across some interesting, disturbing and important information about the shrimp we eat.

The majority of our shrimp is farmed and there is a good chance that it comes from a factory pond in Indonesia, India, Thailand or South America. The problem here is that some overseas farmers use antibiotics and other chemicals to control disease and to keep ponds productive.

The Food and Drug administration requires processors to ensure that shrimp intended for the U.S. market aren’t raised with unapproved substances. However, Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for the advocacy group Consumers Union, says, “Enforcement is practically nonexistent.” The FDA inspects only about 2,000 of the hundreds of thousands of foreign facilities that export food to the U.S. each year, says the policy arm of Consumer Reports.

Another problem is that the some plants where shrimp are shelled, deveined and packed have been found to have bacteria, such as staphylococcus aureus, that come from the way the shrimp are handled. This implies that “processors are not using good hygiene such as hand washing and wearing gloves” says the Consumer Reports Safety and Sustainability Center.

“Consumer reports tested 284 samples of raw shrimp for bacterial contamination. This is what they found by country: Bangladesh 83%, India 74%, Indonesia 69%, Ecuador 61%, Argentine wild 33% and the U.S. wild 20%.”

Considering that we eat 1.2 billion pounds of shrimp a year, it seems like a good idea to be knowledgeable about how to purchase the best shrimp and handle them properly. I was surprised to learn that there are more than 4,000 types of shrimp.

First of all, the words natural and organic on labels are meaningless since there are no standards for those terms. Don’t buy cooked shrimp, because there is no guarantee that they is bacteria free. Mark Bittman of the New York Times, author of “Fish,” says you should avoid peeled and deveined shrimp because cleaning before freezing may cause a loss of flavor and texture.

He says “brown shrimp, especially large ones, should be avoided if your palate is sensitive to iodine.” Also, shrimp must be free of black spots since that is an indication that the meat is breaking down.

Most shrimp sold in the U.S. are shipped frozen, then thawed. You might find some truly fresh shrimp from a gourmet store or seaside market. However, if shrimp are frozen very soon after they have been caught, they might be even better than shrimp that has sat around in a supermarket case.

Something to look for on the label is this: best aqua cultural practices. This applies to farmed shrimp. They are not given antibiotics and are farmed under conditions that exceed the local environmental regulations. The independent agency Marine Stewardship Council certifies the quality of wild American shrimp. SeafoodWatch.org is another resource for finding out about safe practices in the industry.

If you want to buy packaged shrimp, look for the count number, which will reflect the size of the shrimp in one box. If the count is 31 to 35, they are small. Twenty-one to 25 are about standard. Extra large and jumbo shrimp are not standardized. Also, if you choose to buy farmed shrimp, look on the label for Naturland, Aquaculture Stewardship Council or Whole Foods Responsibly Farmed.

If you are handling shrimp to prepare them for cooking, remember to keep them cold. They should not warm up before cooking. If you get them from the grocery cold case, try to get a bag of ice in which to take them home. When it is time to peel them, do it quickly so your hands don’t warm them. Try putting them in a bowl with ice. Wash your hands and other utensils that you have used right away, so you don’t contaminate other food, since there is a risk of spreading bacteria.

Enjoy.

TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at m_markowitz@cox.net.