Tiny shrimp are rarely tasty, Flaccid. Mushy. The fortunate exception are the cold water baby shrimp sold at By the Bay Fish Mart in St. Peters, PEI. They are harvested in the icy waters of Newfoundland. Shelled. Steamed. Flash frozen and off, via air transport, to Prince Edward Island. They are a succulent delight. HG alternates the shrimp with Malpeque oysters as a nightly appetizer. HG mixes some spoonfuls with olive oil, sliced garlic and red pepper flakes (the way “Marco” Scungilli Salad is prepared at the Belmont Tavern in Belleville, NJ.). Or, HG gives the shrimp a hit of lemon juice and Island Shellfish lime and cilantro hot sauce. Or, Chinese style with sesame oil and blazing hot chile oil. All yummy. Gifted daughter Lesley R. makes a lush salad with the shrimp, mixing them chopped celery, onion, lemon juice and mayonnaise. By the Bay’s shrimp are one of the reasons HG is fond of Newfoundland. It seems the local population handles the very cold temperatures with strong drink, robust food, music and jollity. HG/BSK hope to visit the capital city of St. John’s one day. Reputed to be very lively, very colorful. Symbolic of St. John’s is the calendar propped in HG/BSK’s Santa Fe kitchen. The months are marked with photos of brawny, shirtless, much tattooed, bearded St. John’s guys bedecked as mermaids. Makes HG/BSK smile.
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