FIG. 1.-BOILING SHRIMP OVER OPEN FIRES BY "RULE-OF-THUMB" METHODS IS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOW QUALITY SHRIMP SOMETIMES FOUND IN NORTHERN MARKETS. FIG. 2.-SHRIMP HEADS. A VALUABLE FERTILIZER Now GOING TO WASTE. PREPARING COOKED SHRIMP FOR MARKET. COOLING SHRIMP AFTER COOKING. After they have been cooked the shrimp should always be cooled thoroughly before being packed for shipment. Unless this cooling is done properly they can not be shipped to market successfully. The spoilage of shrimp in transit is due more to incomplete chilling before packing than to any other single factor. The shrimp should be placed in thin layers on cooling racks of wire screens in a temperature below 50° F., if possible, and exposed to a free circulation of air. Under this treatment the shrimp quickly lose their heat and the excess of water absorbed from the brine. The packer should not judge their temperature merely by touching the shells. Cooked shrimp contain air spaces between the meat and the shell and as the shell is a poor conductor it frequently is cold to the touch even when the shrimp meat itself is still warm. The degree of cooling may be tested by removing a shell and breaking open the meat. In the Southern States the temperature of the air may be from 75° to 90° F. This is too warm to cool the shrimp to the degree necessary in the case of such a perishable foodstuff. Under such conditions the shrimp must be placed in a refrigerated room. Proper cooling is of the greatest importance because it means less danger of spoilage in transit, results in the use of less ice in packing, and insures freshness in the product when it reaches the market. PACKING COOKED SHRIMP FOR SHIPMENT. There are several ways to pack shrimp, depending on the demands of the markets and the distances to which the shrimp are shipped. For near markets whole or headless cooked shrimp are packed in small boxes or crates and shipped in the cool months, usually without refrigeration. The containers should not hold over 30 pounds, as a larger bulk increases the danger of heating. Unless the shrimp are absolutely dry and cooled to a temperature of less than 40° F. it is hazardous to ship them in air-tight containers because of danger of sweating and consequent decomposition. For this reason some packers use ventilated containers or crates. Dry cooked shrimp are thoroughly cooled, packed, and sometimes shipped in 1 to 5 gallon tin cans that are lined with paper and provided with water-tight covers or tops which are soldered or fastened tightly to the can. The sealed cans then are packed in ice in burlap-covered barrels with drainage holes at the bottom. Such packages are reiced by the express company when necessary, and even in warm weather can be transported in good condition. Some shippers pack the cooked stock in tight cans in light brine supposed to act as a preservative. The dry-packed stock, however, has a better flavor and keeps just as well if it has been properly cooked and handled. Packing brines should not be over 5 to 10 per cent strength. Heavier solutions tend to make the shrimp leathery and too salty and weaker ones produce softness and flabbiness in the stock and have no appreciable preservative effect. A brine of 7 or 8 per cent strength should be satisfactory for shipping purposes. In such packing both shrimp and brine should be cooled before shipping; otherwise there is danger that the ice may melt during transit and the shrimp consequently decay. Headless cooked shrimp packed in kegs in strong brine of from 15 to 20 per cent strength keep very well. This "keg stock" sometimes is used in restaurants or hotels, where the necessary freshening can be done. Most housewives prefer the product packed in weak brine because it is more convenient and has a better flavor. PACKING RAW SHRIMP FOR SHIPMENT. Raw shrimp before being packed are chilled with ice to 40° F. or below. A layer of ice is placed in the bottom of a barrel provided with drainage holes. A layer of chilled shrimp is placed on the ice, then another layer of ice, and more shrimp. A large cake of ice or "header" is placed on the top of the barrel. Another method is to provide a bottom layer of ice and then place on end in the center of the barrel a long, narrow cake of ice. The shrimp are packed around this cake, or core, of ice, the "header" cake is placed on top of the barrel, and the barrel and its contents covered with burlap. Cooked shrimp, as a rule, are sent by express in small lots. In the case of raw shrimp, car lots of iced barrels occasionally may be shipped by fast freight in refrigerator or ventilator cars. DRIED SHRIMP AND OTHER SPECIALTIES. Dried shrimp are prepared in certain sections of Louisiana and Florida. The cooked shrimp are dried outdoors in the sun and the meats threshed out from the shells. Under an improved process raw shrimp sprinkled with salt are cooked with live steam and dried over steam pipes. This rapid drying results in a bright, attractive food product which has not been subjected to the molding or decomposition frequently taking place when shrimp are dried outdoors under varying weather conditions. This product deserves a wider market. Headed and peeled shrimp meats also should prove popular. These meats after being cooked in a weak brine are cooled and dried on wire screens. They are then packed dry in tightly sealed tin cans (sometimes lined with paper) of from 1 to 5 gallon capacity. The cans are shipped in barrels of cracked ice. Shrimp pastes are prepared by grinding shrimp meats and adding salt and flavoring. They are used like anchovy paste for sandwiches and as a relish. Potted tuna fish, smoked salmon paste, and similar preparations of halibut have recently met with some sale in this country. It is believed that a somewhat similar by-product can be made profitably from broken or small shrimp or from surplus stock taken in periods of slack markets. FOOD VALUE OF SHRIMP MEAT. Chemical analysis shows that shrimp are a nitrogenous food containing constituents similar to those found in cheese, meat, oysters, and eggs. Almost all of the edible portion of raw shrimp is protein, the muscle and tissue building food element. Since shrimp are a concentrated nitrogenous food they may be used as the principal dish of a meal as well as the basis of a salad or as an appetizer or relish. Table 2, which shows the results of analyses of shrimp obtained from different localities and prepared in various ways, gives comparisons between shrimp and other foodstuffs of a nitrogenous nature. TABLE 2.-Analyses and food values of shrimp and certain other foodstuffs. When shrimp are headed about 43 per cent of their weight is thrown away. Small amounts of this material are used locally by farmers, who report that it has excellent fertilizing value for certain crops. As a thousand barrels of shrimp (50,000 to 60,000 pounds) are landed sometimes in a single day it is obvious that a large amount of potentially valuable fertilizing material is obtained from the heading of shrimp. Some attention has been given to the drying of shrimp heads for sale as fertilizer. Experiments indicate, however, that in the process of drying a large amount of nitrogen is lost in the form of ammonia or other volatile substances. To retain this nitrogen it would seem advisable to mix the material before drying with a suitable acid-reacting substance of value as a fertilizer. The material lean. Whole milk. American cheese. when dried in this manner should constitute a valuable by-product. Analysis shows that dried shrimp waste contains over 11 per cent nitrogen, calculated as ammonia, and 24 per cent phosphorus, calculated as phosphorus pentoxid. These figures indicate high fertilizing value. SUMMARY. Cleanliness, proper cooking, and care in handling shrimp, combined with a discontinuance of the practice of using preservatives, have resulted in the production of a finely flavored product which is gradually increasing in popularity. At the same time improvements in methods of packing and preparation have made shrimp accessible to many new markets at long distances from the producing sections. Packers in the South and on the Pacific Coast should make every effort to keep their own products up to the highest standard and should do everything possible to promote the general adoption of high standards by the trade. The increased consumption of shrimp and the opening of new markets are stimulating the industry to increase its catches. If shrimp are taken at the wrong time of year or in excessive numbers their extermination is probable. Those interested in the shrimp industry, therefore, should give early attention to the question of conservation. It is also to the interest of those whose livelihood is dependent upon catching and packing shrimp to encourage investigations planned to determine the periods of spawning, the times of migration, and the feeding habits of shrimp, and to do their part in helping to make such investigations result in the adoption of protective measures. ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 5 CENTS PER COPY WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1917 |