Fresh from local waters
There is nothing better than going down to my favorite fish market, which happens to be downtown on the water just a few blocks from our house, to pick up fresh from the Gulf of Mexico, wild shrimp. Now I'm not going as far in saying these are the most beautiful creatures but these sure do put a pretty grin on my face when I see how fresh they are.
How to tell when shrimp is fresh:
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I was taught to look at the color of the flesh. Fresh shrimp will be translucent, grayish to white in color (or brownish if brown shrimp). If the flesh is pinkish, it is older than I like it, but that is just something personal. You can tell how old shrimp is by the darkening color of it's head normally caused by being on ice too long. The darker it is, the older it is and if it is almost black, well then it is possible spoilage has occurred or at least been sitting around a while. Also, the shell of older caught shrimp will not retain the brittleness of the fresher and will become soft over time. Fresh shrimp, like fresh fish will not smell so heavily with a seafood, fishy odor. Fresh shrimp will have a sweet, almost crisp taste when cooked, older shrimp will most certainly taste shrimpy, like, well frozen shrimp.
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