Understanding shrimp, oysters and transparency in the seafood industry | Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat

Steven Douggar
| Your order

After reading a recent article published on the USA Today (“Shrimp Fraud” in many restaurants on the Persian coast, find new studies), I felt forced to share my story and why I feel strongly serving American seafood.

My family has been involved in seafood for generations, raising deeply located knowledge and passion for the industry. My grandfather was a fisherman, as well as uncle and cousins. In 1986, Hurricane Kate destroyed our oyster beds and forced us to move to the restaurant business. Seafood remains the central component of our business over the years. Our mission was to use our history and family contacts to get the most consistent quality seafood we can find.

Unfortunately, BP oil spilling, combined with more active seasons of hurricanes, impose on us (as well as most seafood restaurants) to explore new roads to maintain our commitment to provide high quality seafood. This made us look at the imported seafood options, a solution led by a necessity and unwavering dedication to maintain our standards of high achievement.

While Asian seafood often have a bad reputation, we have found that South American and Canadian farms produce a commendable product. Our focus has always been on quality and consistency, not just price. We are reassured by the government’s healthy provisions on imported seafood that play a decisive role in maintaining the standards we strive to deliver to our valuable customers.

For years, we have used both home and imported shrimp, which were incredible and consistent products. However, a few months ago we visited T & E Seafood, which supplies our oysters, in Irvington, Al. While there, we decided to travel to Royal Lagoon’s seafood in Theodore, Al. It was shocking to see the many shrimp boats that were tied to Bayou and offered “for sale”.

We have done some studies and found that over 90% of the products consumed in the United States today have been imported and this delayed local fishermen from work. It was especially heartbreaking for us.

As a company, we gathered our management team and continued on a mission to find a way to help you cancel this trend. What we came up with was to change our whole seafood menu to make it home products. The only items still imported are Mahi-Mahi from Peru and occasionally snow crabs from Canada. Doing this, we think we are doing our small part to help return jobs to local fishermen.

There are several differences between internal and imported shrimp: the price is higher; The product is a little less consistent as imported, so the dimension can vary slightly; The texture of shrimp looks more like Omar than you are used to; “Cooking time” is shorter; And domestic shrimp is peeled machines, which removes the tail.

If you are served shrimp in casual restaurants, they are most likely to be imported shrimp. They also have a completely different taste. We remain engaged to serve home seafood, but we have received many complaints of the change. Most Americans are used to the taste of imported shrimp. Even my wife, who ironically is not a big eater on seafood, does not like domestic shrimp as much as she likes an imported shrimp.

We are so serious to use homemade seafood that we even took off the bass from the menu. It was one of our best-selling and most profitable products, but it was a Vietnamese product. Nothing is more important to us than our integrity and we will never mislead our products and we will not lie.

We strive to provide “fresh” seafood when possible, but the reality is that Frozen is often a better product. Thirty plus years of seafood (most foods) were frozen as it was old to keep it around until it could be used. This is not the case today. The products are frozen immediately (sometimes on the boat) and this makes a much better product than even fresh, which has traveled a few days before reaching our stores.

As a company we use up to 45,000 pounds of shrimp a month. It takes planning to have so much accessible and fresh, which means that sometimes frozen is better.

The last problem I would like to deal with has been around for many years: Service of the Grouper Florida Grouper. We have always been in the front when we do it and don’t have a Grouper. Our price (wholesale we pay) for the Grouper Florida Grouper is currently $ 20 per pound! We had the price complaints and heard comments that other restaurants were more cheap. Let me be completely clear. If you get a Grouper for less than $ 20 per plate, you are and you no To be served in the Grouper Florida Gulf or is the leader of losses for this restaurant.

There are more than one bay in the world, so many will say the Grouper Grouper, but that does not necessarily mean that you are receiving an internal product. If you see it less than this price, it probably comes from Mexico or Indonesia.

We remain engaged in our heritage of high achievements in the seafood industry, constantly adapting and developing to meet the challenges of today, while honoring the traditions of our past. This is a solution that makes sense to us because of my family history. As I mentioned many times, there are quality imported products that are just as good, but they must be labeled respectively.

Stephen Douggar was born in Talahasi in a family in the seafood industry. Later, he continues to graduate from America’s Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, New York. He is an executive AD chef at Wharf Casual Seafood.

Join the conversation

Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or your bend columns (about 500 words) to [email protected]S Please include your address only for the purposes of the check and if you send your turn, also include a photo and 1-2 line of bio by yourself. You can also send an anonymous zing! S in Tallahassee.com/zing. Submission is published on the basis of space available. All requests can be edited for content, clarity and length and can also be published by any part of the USA Today network.

Understanding shrimp, oysters and transparency in the seafood industry | Opinion – Tallahassee Democrat

By james art

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You Missed

Kansas City chiefs preparing for eagles scandalous "Impetus" – Sports Illustrated

HBCU Football Classic to include two best D2 programs – HBCU GameDay

The Wilmington FSB savings fund has $ 8.27 million in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) – Insurance network network

Tahoe Snow Amotals in Ski Resorts: How much dust is in palisades, heavenly and more? – Reno Gazette Journal

Understanding shrimp, oysters and transparency in the seafood industry | Opinion – Tallahassee Democrat

Related posts:

By james art

Related Post

Winter Storm Busins ​​Much of Minnesota, triggered emergencies in Minneapolis and St. Paul – MPR NEWS

The young driver fined after the speed camera catches it at A1 (m) in Durham County – the northern echo

Fiu Picks Lt. Gov. Jeanette núñez for the position of president after a request by Desantis – Tampa Bay Times Times