The Guest Menu [Part 1 - Shrimps]

As some of you may have experienced, and the rest of you have read about, a big part of a guest's experience on the S/V Thin Line has a lot to do with the food.

Everyone who comes to the Keys wants to eat seafood. I try to accommodate by making a trip to the Keys Fisheries and purchasing a couple of pounds of Key West Pinks.
Here's a bit of history about the Key West Pink variety of shrimp. Accounts vary, but sometime between 1949 and 1958 they were "discovered"...History is a slippery slope. One story claims a fishing boat caught a shark and when they cut it open, it's belly was full of the never before seen shrimp. Another version is that grouper being caught and processed had their bellies similarly full leading to a rich and plentiful shrimping ground off of the Dry Tortugas. The most important discovery about the pinks is contributed to shrimper, Felix Salvador, when he decided to drop his nets at dusk instead of dawn. Legend has it that alcohol might have been involved, but the pinks only run at night. All I know is those shrimp sure taste yummy.

The easiest way I have discovered to fix the tasty morsels is to get out the vegetable steamer. Put enough water in a pot to touch the bottom of the steamer. Add a sliced up lemon or lime if handy, and bring to a boil. Substitute beer if you are so inclined. In the meantime, rinse the pinks in a colander, picking out any odd bits, and then sprinkle liberally with Old Bay. When you have steam, dump the pinks. The guy at the fisheries told me I only had to steam them for 3 minutes or so...but I gave mine a toss at the 3 minute mark and continued steaming for another 3. They were some pretty big shrimp [16 to 22 per pound]. Then it was back into the colander for the shrimp and then onto a plate. Serve with hot melted butter, lemon wedges, and lots of napkins. You just can't go wrong with this crowd pleaser.

If you happen to have left-overs...I almost always over-buy and so I usually do...go ahead and peel all the shrimp and refrigerate. I like to get the peeling part out of the way.

Now you have 2 options for leftover sandwiches - hot or cold.
On one of Angela's trips, she took the shuttle back to the airport so I made her a sandwich for the ride. First I cut the shrimp into more manageable bits, then chopped some celery, onion, and a baby carrot or two. Mix with a dollop of mayo, a squirt of lemon, a dash of sea salt, and a crack of black pepper and pile it up on a croissant and viola - a gourmet morsel that you'll probably have to eat with a knife and fork [and extra napkins] but very yummy.

I had the same thing in mind for our last bit of company until Janet announced that she didn't eat cold seafood. Well, pooh.
Fine, then.
Same basic stuff: dice a bit of celery, onion, and a baby carrot or 2 and lightly saute in a skillet with a bit of butter. When that's good and soft, throw in the cut up shrimp and heat just enough to warm the shrimp but not really cook them any further. Spoon on to a nice, toasted bun...publix french hamburger buns are a pretty good choice...and top with a slice of cheddar cheese. I made a bit of a savory dressing by mixing a bit of Ken's Steak House Creamy Caesar with a bit of brown mustard and slathered a bit of that on the bun as well.
Extra napkins, a knife, and a fork are probably a good idea with this one as well.
You could add a bit of color with red pepper or a bit of spinach, but I used what I had on hand and had rave reviews.