On December 21st, seafood lovers celebrate National French Fried Shrimp Day. Enjoyed all year long, this delicious dish delights many across the country.
- Americans eat more shrimp than any other seafood.
- The word prawn is used loosely to describe any large shrimp, sometimes known as jumbo shrimp. Some countries use the word prawn exclusively for all shrimp.
- A healthy food, shrimp is low in calories and high in levels of omega-3s, calcium, iodine, and protein. Shrimp is also known to be considered good for the circulatory system. *The preparation of the shrimp does impact the caloric count.
- One billion pounds of shrimp are eaten every year by Americans.
- Over five billion pounds of shrimp are produced every single year.
- A shrimp can average about 6 inches while the longest ever found was at 16 inches.
- Ever wonder what shrimp eat? Most shrimp are omnivorous, but some are specialized for particular modes of feeding.
- Some shrimp can live as long as six and a half years, while some only live about a year or so.
- There are 16 different stages of life are found in shrimp from egg to full adult.
- Every shrimp is actually born a male and then become females as they mature.
- The average shrimp has 10 legs.
- The name for raw, uncooked shrimp is “green”.
- Shrimp that has been broiled or sautéed, usually in butter and garlic are called “scampi”.
- The pistol shrimp can deliver an explosive attack hotter than the surface of the sun and loud enough to rupture a human ear drum.
- There are over 2,000 different shrimp species spread out all over the world and in every known marine niche, from the tropics to the Antarctic Ocean. The most common species found in our region are the Gulf Brown Shrimp, Gulf Pink Shrimp, and Gulf White Shrimp.
- One of the fun facts about shrimp that you might not know is that these arthropods are actually quite good at swimming. They can propel themselves backwards quickly by flexing the muscles of their abdomen and tail, or swim forward more slowly using the appendages on the underside of their tail.
- Certain shrimp species are able to make a snapping sound that is louder than any other marine noise by hitting their large and small pincers together.
- if the small crustacean is a part of your diet, it may reduce your risk of developing cancer. That’s because shrimp contain selenium, an antioxidant mineral that activates enzymes to fight the growth of cancer-causing free radicals.
- While microwaving frozen shrimp might seem like a good shortcut when you need dinner in a hurry, it’s not a good idea. Shrimp cooks very quickly, so it can go from frozen to overcooked before you know it.
- Several shrimp species serve as cleaners for other fish, removing bloodsucking parasites from different fishes’ mouths.
- To attract fish, cleaning shrimp wave their white antennae and do a little dance.
- Indo-Pacific shrimp live in tandem with corals, dining on their host’s mucus and protecting them from predators.
- They know how to reproduce: Most shrimp are breeding machines — within hours after their eggs hatch, females are carrying a new batch of fertilized embryos.
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