You’ve probably had softshell crabs at seafood restaurants around the area, but how about softshell shrimp? They’re out there and available if you’re feeling adventurous enough according to NOLA.com food writer Ian McNulty. While you may have to do a bit of searching to find a local restaurant that has them, they’re much more prominent than they used to be around here according to McNulty. “There used to be a restaurant called Cava in Lakeview years ago that would get them occasionaly,” McNulty notes. “The owner there would tell me he had to go down to the docks in Lafitte to get them, and maybe that was the case back then. It really seemed like this dockside exotica where you had to have a hookup. But, I’ve been seeing them more often lately, which tells me that maybe something has changed,” He went on to add.
For those curious about what the tasting experience is like, McNulty describes a properly fried softshell shrimp thusly: “You really want these cooked right. When they’re not overcooked, you get this second level of crispiness. You get the crispiness you would expect from fried shrimp, but underneath that, there’s an added layer of crunch,” added McNulty, equating the extra crunch to the peanuts in a Snickers bar between the sweet plumpness of the shrimp itself.
An interesting aside is that most, if not all, of the softshell shrimp being served around the Crescent City are being sourced by one local company. “Anna Marie Shrimp, which is a fantastic seafood … I say ‘company’, but it’s a brand. Really, it’s one guy named Lance Nacio who is a third generation Cajun hunter and fisherman with a couple of boats in Montegut, Louisiana. He’s made a fantastic brand for local, sustainable Louisiana seafood. The stuff your grandparents grew up with. That’s where the softshell shrimp is coming from,” explained McNulty.
They may still be a little hard to find, but if you’re in the mood to try softshell shrimp yourself, McNulty recommends the happy hour at Evviva in downtown New Orleans. He says they can be found there on occasion and are cooked exactly as they should be. Otherwise, he says you should check in with some of your favorite high-end restaurants, as he’s been seeing them pop up more often on several menus in limited fashion as of late.