America's favorite seafood? Shrimp. It's easy to see why; shrimp are available fresh or frozen, shell-on and peeled, raw and cooked. Shrimp lend themselves to countless dishes, from curries to gumbos to kebabs to stir fries.

"Mom and I loved shrimp," celebrity chef John Besh recalls in My New Orleans, a combination cookbook, memoir and tribute to Louisiana's food culture. "Dad enjoyed them but Mom and I loved them, just because they are so easy to cook."

Louisiana is the major source for domestic shrimp. The state's shrimp industry was socked hard by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, as Besh noted in his book — written before the oil-spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico — and has been battered by cheaper foreign competition.

The region's shrimpers are the equivalent of the family farm to Besh. "In our neck of the woods, that means everything," he said in a telephone interview."

In terms of having environmental cred, wild and farmed shrimp from the United States and Canada get the nod from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. Seafood Watch recommends avoiding shrimp from other countries.

Which shrimp is which? Consumers should ask at restaurants and retail outlets, said Sheila Bowman, outreach director for the California-based program. "The seafood supply chain has good information available that will tell you how it was caught, where it was caught," she said. "If a restaurant or a retailer can't tell you, it's because they haven't made it a priority to understand or know about the information."

"Not all shrimp are created equal," Besh insisted. "Domestic shrimp are much more scrutinized. Take the Gulf of Mexico for instance, where the shrimping season has just begun. Never have there been waters more controlled or tested on such a regular basis. They are making sure shrimp caught in these waters are not polluted." Of course, as the Gulf situation keeps unfolding new advisories or warning could be issued.

Spicer relies on a shrimper who goes farther west in the Gulf of Mexico, near Morgan City, La., to get shrimp.

"He delivers several times a week himself — which means he shrimps all night, then drives back to New Orleans and delivers to his restaurants all morning and afternoon. I don't know when the guy sleeps," she said.

Besh uses both the brown shrimp, which tends to arrive at the market in May and June, and the larger white shrimp, which can be found from August onward. While larger shrimp are more popular, they also pose somewhat of a challenge.

"They're more prone to be tougher and chewier," he said. "If you go for medium-sized shrimp they'll be more forgiving and, frankly, there's sometimes less of that iodine flavor."



GRILLED SHRIMP WITH CORIANDER SAUCE

Susan Spicer, of Bayona restaurant in New Orleans, serves this shrimp with black bean cakes prepared the night or morning before she plans to serve the dish.

Preparation 40 minutes, cook 25 minutes, makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each: chili powder, ground red pepper
16 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left on
Coriander sauce:
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Preparation: Combine olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, chili powder and red pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp; toss. Refrigerate while you make coriander sauce. Soak four 6-inch skewers in hot water.

For sauce, place the shallot, orange zest and juice, wine, vinegar and coriander in a small saucepan; heat to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until liquid is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 20 minutes. Whisk in softened butter by the spoonful until sauce is emulsified and creamy. Stir in cilantro; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Prepare a grill or broiler for high heat. Place four shrimp on each skewer. Grill or broil shrimp until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Drizzle with the sauce.

Nutrition information per serving: 192 calories, 84 percent of calories from fat, 18 g fat, 10 g saturated fat



CHARRED CHAYOTE SOUP WITH ADOBO SHRIMP

Emeril Lagasse included this recipe in his latest cookbook, Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh. "Don't skip grilling the chayote — it adds a smoky element that really makes this combination sing," Lagasse writes.

Preparation 30 minutes, cook 30 minutes, makes 4 servings

2 1/2 pounds chayote squash, peeled, halved, seeded
1 tablespoon oil
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 teaspoons sauce from canned chipotles in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 quart chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation: Prepare a grill or grill pan for medium heat. Combine the chayote, oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and black pepper in a large bowl; toss. Grill the chayote, in batches if necessary, until slightly charred on both sides, 8-10 minutes per side. Cut into 1/2-inch dice; set aside.

Combine the shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and adobo sauce in a bowl. Let stand 10-30 minutes.

Heat the butter in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook until onions soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the reserved chayote, the cumin and the crushed red pepper. Stir in the chicken stock; heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until chayote is tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the shrimp. Cook until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat; stir in cilantro. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per serving: 335 calories, 38 percent of calories from fat, 14 g fat, 5 g saturated fat




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