~ Tiger Shrimp

Tiger shrimp shells are marked with a distinctive black or gray stripe. They can be used in the same way as Gulf shrimp, though to my palate, they aren’t nearly as good in either flavor or texture. Native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, most are farm-raised in Asia and India, and I have serious concerns about how they are cultivated. They survive in fresh or brackish water and some (not all) unscrupulous farmers turn a fast buck by digging a pond, seeding it with these quick-maturing shrimp, harvesting, and starting a new crop again. After the ponds become so polluted that they won’t support life anymore, the farmer moves on, scoops out a new pond, leaving behind the polluted one. I advise you not to buy tigers unless your store can vouch for the fact that they have been wholesomely and sustainably raised (an important issue for all our food).