So Shellfish

Photo @calisalvi 

Ah, so shellfish.

It's hard to find serious evidence in the history of shrimp consumption, because their shells and most remnants decay quickly, but here are a few things we know about early shrimp history.

First, we do know that shrimp/prawns have been consumed since pre-history, and that archaeologists found ancient raised paved areas near the coast in Chiapas that they believed were used for drying shrimp. There are shrimp painted onto clay vessels in the ruins at Pompeii as well.

But the first recorded recipes for shrimp were a bit later than you would expect. Although Ancient Roman cookbook author Apicus has specific mention of sea-onion, crab, lobster, cuttle fish, ink fish, spiny lobster, scallops and oysters, he does not speak to preparations for shrimp exactly.

So although shrimp/prawns seem to be ubiquitous though history and pre-history all around the world, these little guys don't get much air time! Let's start now: what's your favorite shrimp recipe?