Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Shrimp. — There are several varieties of shrimps, and amongst these the best known are the brown shrimp and the red shrimp. The brown shrimp is the more highly flavoured of the two. It keeps close to the shore, and even affects brackish waters. It is mostly caught by fishermen or women, who wade into the sea, and push a shrimp-net before them. The red shrimp, or rather the pale-pink shrimp, rarely attains to such a size as the brown shrimp does; it is slimmer in its proportions, and more delicate in flavour. It never enters brackish waters, but keeps well out to sea. It THE SHRIMP. is sometimes called the Yarmouth shrimp, from having been accidentally discovered in Great Yarmouth Roads by some boats employed in recovering lost anchors by a process called "sweeping." Two boats, at a certain distance from each other, proceed up and down the Roads, having a loose rope suspended between them, at the middle of which is fastened a large fish-basket or "swill," partly laden with stones to sink it. By these means the place of the anchor at the bottom of the sea is ascertained, and it is then raised and brought to land. In particular states of the tide, it was found that the swill, when brought to the surface, was filled with an unusual species of shrimp. The hint was taken immediately, and the red shrimp fishery established. Shrimps form a common relish at the breakfast or tea table. When freshly boiled, they are excellent; stale, they are indigestible. Boiled shrimps which are clammy to the touch and exhale a pungent smell, are not fresh, and should be discarded as comparatively worthless. "It was once thought," says Dr. Doran, "that the prawn or shrimp was somehow necessary to the production of soles, acting, it was believed, as a sort of nurse or foster-parent to the spawn. But this I suppose to be about as true as that soles always swim in pairs, with three-pennyworth of shrimps behind them, ready for sauce." Shrimp and Asparagus Sauce.— Take twenty-five asparagus, and cut them into short pieces; then boil them till tender in a ( 868 ) SHR little weak broth. Boil half a pint of shrimps, separate the fish from the shells, pound the latter, and set them on the fire with a piece of butter for a few minutes. Then strain through a tamis. Add a spoonful of flour to the shrimp-butter, and thin it with the liquor in which the asparagus was boiled; set it on the fire with a little grated nutmeg, salt, and a piece of butter. When it boils, put in the shrimps and asparagus, give them a boil up, and serve with boiled fowl, fricassee of chicken or veal, &c. Lobsters may be dressed in the same way. Shrimp Butter, for Sauces, &c.— The shells of shrimps which are to be potted, or served in any other way, may be utilised for flavouring butter to be used for making fish sauce, and for garnishing dishes. The butter will not keep good more than a few hours. Put the shells of about two hundred and fifty shrimps in a mortar, pound them as finely as possible, and mix with them two ounces of butter. Put the mixture into a jar, set this in a pan of hot water, and let it remain for an hour. Press it through a cloth, and put it into cold water. Lift it from the liquor, drain it, and press it through a silk sieve ; work a slice of fresh butter in with it, and it will be ready for use.