By Susan and Biff Andrews

Americans love shrimp. They comprise 25 percent of all seafood sales in the USA — 4.1 pounds per person a year.

Unfortunately, 90 percent of all shrimp sold are farm-raised in shallow-water farms near Thailand, Vietnam, and China, while only 10 percent are wild-caught domestic sales. The good news? We live in the northernmost commercial shrimping area. And local shrimp are available.

Two weeks ago I stopped by Wanchese, N.C., near Manteo, and asked for fresh shrimp. “None to be had,” I was told. Not ‘til next spring.

I then visited a lesser-known spot 30 miles away, near Pamlico Sound, where they said, “What’ll you have? Green shrimp at $9.95 or brown shrimp at $7.95? Fresh-caught Pamlico Sound shrimp.”

Local shrimp will probably be available till mid-December, if you know where to ask.

There are 300 species of shrimp and prawns worldwide. A discussion of those two terms — shrimp and prawn — would not tell you much, and not tell you much about the differences.

Here on the East Coast of the U.S.A., wild-caught shrimp are usually brown, white or pink, in descending order of numbers but ascending order of taste.

• Pink shrimp are available mainly on the west coast of Florida, but are sometimes available here in summer. They are mild, firm, sweet and tender. They have a dark spot between their third and fourth segments, so they are sometimes called spotted shrimp.
• White shrimp (called green or green-tailed locally) are also sweet and tender but like cooler waters They can be identified by their gray color, smooth (not grooved) shells, and very long antennae — up to three times their body length. They are a bit less firm than brown shrimp, but their ranges overlap. In Carolina stores, greentails seem to appear in September, and they’re the last shrimp swimming in December.
• Brown shrimp are the most widely caught in the U.S., both in the East (from Wanchese) and the Gulf. An odd thing about these shrimp is that they feed on small worms on the bottom that contain lots of bromine — like iodine. They absorb it quickly, but one trawl will bring up some that have just eaten and some that have finished processing, so the taste will be strong or weak within the same catch.

Then there are tiger shrimp (which are striped and larger), rock shrimp (which are cold, deep-water specimens with hard shells and a taste like lobster), and red-tailed shrimp — and dozens of other varieties, including a bunch of West Coast types.

They are all great fresh and should be sampled, especially on the Gulf Coast. But hereabouts, if you get fresh shrimp, they’re probably brown, white or pink.

Suggested cooking methods (other than grilling): Boil in Old Bay-seasoned water for two minutes by the clock, then stop the cooking process by draining and plunging into an ice batch with a lot of salt in it. The shrimp will take in the salt in 15 minutes or so, but will still be tender. Add some “red lead” cocktail sauce or aioli sauce and you’re in business.

They’ll be around and fresh for a few more weeks. Find them if you can. I ain’t telling where I get mine.

Susan and Bradford “Biff” Andrews are retired teachers and master naturalists who have been outdoor people all their lives, exploring and enjoying the woods, swamps, rivers and beaches throughout the region for many years. Email them at b.andrews22@live.com.