Whole Story

Did you know that the pilgrims ate shrimp and other seafood at the first Thanksgiving? So when the “day formerly known as turkey day” rolls around, we want you to know what sets our shrimp apart from the rest. Whether farm raised or wild caught, you can always appreciate what our shrimp has—and doesn’t have. Happy Shrimpsgiving!

Here’s the story on our farmed shrimp: Our seafood buyers have traveled to shrimp farms around the world to find producers that meet our strict standards for protecting the environment. From protecting sensitive ecosystems like mangrove forests to maintaining good water quality, our farmer partners are working hard to be the leaders in environmentally responsible aquaculture. We track our farm-raised shrimp from pond to processing to stores to make sure it comes from approved farms. To maintain the delicious flavor of shrimp and nothing else, ours are flash frozen within hours of harvest — without preservatives.

Some competitors may sell farmed shrimp cheaper, but it’s likely chemically treated. Make sure you look for the Responsibly Farmed label that indicates the shrimp has been farmed according to our strict Aquaculture Standards and third-party audited to ensure that the standards are being met. Here’s the story on our wild-caught shrimp: Like all of the wild-caught seafood in our fresh cases, our shrimp is either MSC-certified, or if it’s not certified it carries the color-coded sustainability status rankings by partnering organizations, Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium.

And you’ll be happy to know that our quality standards prohibit treating shrimp with preservatives so it’s simply sweet, tender wild-caught shrimp. So you’ve set the table for shrimp, so to speak. Whether you’re a shrimp savant or a new shrimp in the pond, it’s always nice to refresh yourself with tips on choosing and cooking shrimp:

• Shrimp size is expressed in the format of count per pound. Weight is affected not just by length/girth, but also by whether or not shrimp is peeled or has the heads/tails on.
• Fresh shrimp should be kept refrigerated and cooked within two days; frozen should be kept in a sealed bag for up to 60 days.
• Boil shrimp for approximately 4 to 6 minutes (depending on size) until they turn pink and opaque. Do not overcook; they will become tough.
• Grill shrimp for 3 or 4 minutes just until they turn pink. Smaller shrimp should be skewered so they don’t fall through grill grates.

Need more “shrimpspiration”? Why not mix it up this year and serve some of these shrimp appetizers to your hungry guests while they wait for the turkey to finish in the oven? Once they try our shrimp, don’t be surprised if they secretly hope the bird takes a little longer!

Will you be serving shrimp at your holiday table? How will you prepare it?