Shrimp, Shrimp, Shrimp, Shrimp!!

I adore the movie, Forest Gump for many reasons. Two big reasons , the movie was filmed in our beloved Low Country- both on Fripp Island, SC and of course downtown historic Savannah and how much Bubba talked and talked about all the ways to prepare shrimp. Like Bubba, I could cook shrimp a zillion ways and never be tired of eating them.

Cause for celebration – Summer time is here and that means our shrimp boats are out fishing right off our coast . We have two types of wild local shrimp that we harvest- white shrimp and brown shrimp. The BROWN SHRIMP are here now! And in the words of Rachel Ray- Yum- Oh! The brown shrimp are only found in the summer time when the shrimp boats can work right off shore . These shrimp love the salt marsh and sea grass and are big, fat and brownish in color. And Sweet! We wait all year for the brown shrimp to be here.

There are two places to buy shrimp right off the shrimp boats here on the Island. Lazeretto Creek Seafood is open 7 days a week from 9AM- 6PM , 912 786 8920 and is located right beside the shrimp docks. When you first cross the Lazeretto Creek Bridge coming on the island, , you make your first right and follow the road along the marsh till you get to the little fishing village. Captain Mike’s Dolphin Tours, Cafe Locos, Dewey’s all are here. You can also buy shrimp fresh off the boats from Jamie at Bowie Seafood- located at the first stop light on Tybee , 912 786 8211 . You can’t miss her building- it’s white with red shutters with crabs and shrimp cut outs. AND she has a Leonard Miller whirly gig seafood art creation in her parking lot- look for this great local folk art !

There are two websites to go for more details on Wild local shrimp – http://www.wildgeorgiashrimp.com/ and http://www.wildamericanshrimp.com/

Here is my receipe that I prepare for as many of my family and friends as possible. Easy, delicious and show cases our wild georgia shrimp to their full advantage!

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta

Makes 6 servings

5-8 large tomatoes cut into eighths ( I buy from Davis Produce – their “killer tomatoes”

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of fresh garlic

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper

2 pounds of medium shrimp ( buy with the heads on and then peel)

1 tall sprig of fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

1 package of whole wheat pasta ( any type of noodles are fine) cooked firm and drained.

Pre heat oven to 450 F. Place tomatoes in large baking dish. Pour olive oil and garlic over tomatoes. Sprinkle salt and pepper and toss.Place fresh sprig of rosemary on top Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, take off rosemary sprig, add shrimp,lemon juice, feta cheese and toss. Back in the oven for 15 minutes until shrimp are pink. Remove from oven.

Pour over pasta, add dried fresh rosemary, more fresh ground pepper to taste and sprinkle more feta cheese on top. Serve hot and be prepared to share this receipe.