This article was originally published in The Louisiana Weekly in the Oct. 29, 2012 edition.
Trawlers in Louisiana’s Gulf are catching Asian tiger shrimp this fall but in numbers that are too small to enter marketing channels. Local vendors and restaurateurs say they’re not interested in these black-striped creatures — an invasive species that makes native, white and brown shrimp look dainty. One day, Gulf tigers could be on your plate, however. U.S. East and West coasts chefs embraced tiger shrimp from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam a while ago.
Out in the Gulf, Lafitte, La. shrimper Ronald Dufrene — on his boat for 20 days straight this month — has found Asian tigers in his catch. “This is the time of year we see them,” he said last week. “Last night, I caught my first tiger in deep water.” The others he found were in shallow water.
Dufrene cooks them for dinner on his boat. “They’re mild, firm and tasty, and I’m going to try making them the way I do lobster,” he said. They grow as long as 14 inches and can weigh a pound. A big one is bulky enough to make a couple of shrimp po-boys.
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