Gabe the Fish Babe: SHRAAAMP Cocktail.

Hahaha nets are so funny

Tonight I fly non-stop economy class to the Bayou where the Mighty Mississippi meets the Gulf of Mexico. I am headed down to New Orleans to see for myself the land of the great white shrimps. Nola Fish Babe countin' her shramps. I adore all shrimps, they are some of the finest fruits of the sea. They must be cooked perfectly and they must be of the finest quality 'cause when you do it right, bada bing-bada boom, you just made 1,000 new friends. Shrimp differ primarily from their amigos the lobs and the crabs because they prefer to swim rather than crawl. They shed their exoskeleton periodically in order to maintain a silky smooth Gucci Mane. White shrimps are not overfished and overfishing of white shrimps is not occurring in the Gulf. The fishery is also working on ways to avoid bycatch of more delicate species such as the American Red Snapper. White shrimp are in season in the Lousiana coastal zone until mid to late December. After that they are harvested primarily from the abyss of the Gulf of Mex. Did you know that only 10% of shrimp that is consumed in the USA is domestic? That's a damned shame. Find out where the hell your shrimp comes from before you buy it.     Support Gulf Fisheries, real 'Merican traditions!  Help! She needs your support! I will be back in the city next week to report my findings, until then stay tuned into www.gabethefishbabe.com Photo of me with net courtesy of Erika Rojas Photography

Nha Trang One: Vietnamese Heaven @ 87 Baxter St.

Usually the grizzly and sometimes gruesome plates of NYC Chinatown are too scary for my sensitive pallette. Did they wash the lettuce enough or am I going to get grit in my teeth? Is the meat going to be stringy, unidentified and hard to eat? Is the 10 dollar price tag worth the price I will pay if the food is gross?These are questions that run through my pea-sized brain when I eat in Chinatown.

I am not trying to insinuate that every restaurant in Chinatown is a dump. There are certain jewels to behold down there. Before you go make sure you get a reccommendation from an experienced renegade diner who can show you the ropes.

Last night my man took me to a place at 87 Baxter St. called Nha Trang One. I had never had the pleasure of feasting on Vietnamese food before (as far as I can remember) and I was worried that it would be sweet and weird. I gave it a shot anyway. Inexpensive, nice waiters and delicious food. This place was a homerun!

We had these amazing little fried pork egg rolls which you can wrap in lettuce and mint leaves and then dip in spicy chili vinegar.

Crunchy, Spicy, Crip, Minty, Lettucey.

Next we dived right into the beef with vermicelli noodles. Wrap that shit in a lettuce leaf too WHAT WHAAAT!

Reowwww!

Last, the major mouthburner: Sweet and Spicy Shrimp soup with Vegetables. The broth tasted like a spicy pineapple, and the shrimps were pretty freakin good, even by fish babe standards. Do NOT order the large, the small is huge and you will never finish it anyways. ATTN Cheapskates: $9.95 for a bowl.

Okra never tasted so good.

Chillin' with El Penguino: Caraquet Oysters, Carolina White Shrimp

Starting off the night with some delicious Nova Scotian Caraquet Oysters and Carolina White Shrimp!!
El Penguino is the oyster shucker here and has been for the last decade. He was preceeded by a man whose tenure was cut short some by a freak accident leading to his death. He was well loved and legend has it he found many pearls in his oysters.


Penguino with his ice:




Caraquets and a couple Barron Points from the Pacific North West. Perfectly shucked if I do say so myself:





Penguino and I... Clearly I am posessed by the oyster demons!!





Now time for the PuPu platter! Haven't had one of these babies since 1992!

Location:Sullivan St,,United States

Massachusetts - Ruby Red Shrimp

Ruby Red Shrimp: Best kept secret on the eastern seaboard.

In the fish industry, loose lips sink ships. Maybe that's why you haven't heard about our specialty Large Ruby Red Shrimp.

These crustaceans are so sweet and succulent that once you go ruby, you may never go back.

We have been supporting the Atlantic Coast shrimp fishing industry for years. Considering the situation in the Gulf, ask yourself: Where are my shrimp from?

 Ruby Red:  IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) / head-off

 21-25 - 11.95/lb

 16-20 - 14.95/lb

 U-15  - 16.95/lb