Florida Rock Shrimp is the perfect shellfish here.
Rock Shrimp are sweet and the best thing that's the closest taste to lobster.
Florida Rock Shrimp very different from regular shrimp.
Their bodies are rock hard when cooked and dipped in butter they taste like little lobster tails!
Dipped in herb butter just broiled after cleaning is my favorite way to serve these.
A little background on these shellfish
Rock shrimp (Sicyonia brevirostris) have a hard, spiny shell more like a lobster rather than its shrimp cousins. The shell is "hard as a rock," hence the term rock shrimp. They live and spawn in warm deep waters, 120 to 240 feet.
Until machines were invented to process them, rock shrimp were popular only with avid fishermen and divers because getting to the meat through the hard shell was such a chore.
Today rock shrimp is readily available, both fresh and frozen, head on or off, split and/or deveined.
Rock shrimp do not grow as large as their shrimp cousins.
Like shrimp, they are sorted and sold by count, meaning the number of shrimp it takes to weigh in at 1 pound.
The largest commercially-available rock shrimp are 21 to 25 to the pound and are about 2 inches in length (although some have been found measuring up to 6 inches).
See Short Video
In the end, there is a Youtube video to watch.
Florida Rock Shrimp is Seasonal
This is seasonal and found all over Florida menus and cooked all different ways.
I like simple flavors however, many love these dipped in cocktail sauce, hot sauce, or just melted butter like me!
Most of the time you will find them here in Florida frozen, but much better fresh.
Tips
- Do not skip the grit cleaning method
- When these turn bright pink they are done, so don't overcook them
- Always salt the water a little when soaking them
- If frozen thaw in water in the refrigerator and never leave seafood out to thaw
- Serve with hot sauce, cocktail sauce or herb butter
Cleaning method:
To ensure all sand is out methods:
Rinse shellfish under running water to remove loose sediment, discarding any with broken shells. (Healthy shellfish will close their shells when firmly tapped.)
Transfer shellfish to a large pot of cold salted water (like their natural environment). Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Just before cooking, lift the shellfish out of the water by hand, so that the sediment remains at the bottom of the pot. Mussels sometimes have small, fibrous “beards,” which should be pinched off.
Spoon out the delicious juices when serving.
Any grit released during cooking will fall to the bottom of the cooking liquid, where it should stay.
Another method I prefer is to do soak and boil to ensure the grit is all out.
I do both methods, soak for 30 minutes then boil for 35 seconds. Then continue cooking, broil, fry etc.
Most people do one or the other)I have had so many questions on why?
It's because I worry about bacteria in fish, so boiling for the 35 seconds makes me feel more confident, then broiling them isn't that long to consider they are cooking another way again.
Hope that helps you understand.that's your preference, boil or soak in cold water.
Cutting the rock shrimp
2 lbs Florida Rock Shrimp cleaned, deveined, cut down the center opened like a butterfly
Place the rock shrimp on a cutting board, dorsal side down and the swimmerets up.
With a sharp knife, cut from the base of the tail to the other end, but not through the shell.
Gently spread the meat apart to expose the sand vein and wash under cold running water.
Boiled:
- In a large pot of lightly sea-salted water, bring to a boil, and place rock shrimp in boiling water.
- Rock shrimp cook more quickly than other shrimp.
- Stir, and after 35 seconds pour into a colander and rinse with cold water.
Broiled:
- Place on a large broiler pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush lightly with garlic butter below, broil on high for 2 minutes, and serve dipped with melted butter... enjoy!
Garlic Herb Butter
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried parsley 3 tablespoons white wine dash of cayenne pepper
- Mix together and serve as a dipping sauce.
Fried:
Clean and wash rock shrimp, and remove all shells.
- Flour Seasoning:
- 1/4 cup flour,
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch,
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder,
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper, cayenne.
- In a large plastic bag mix together, and shake rock shrimp in the seasoned flour.
- Fry in hot oil till browned, do not overcook. Serve with Hot Sauce.
When in Florida!
Boiled, broiled, or even deep-fried, they are awesome.
This Florida Rock Shrimp is delicious so don't miss an opportunity to try them in Florida on your
next vacation!
Don't forget to try Linguine with Rock Shrimp Recipe HERE