Stop in for the May lunch specials!
By Ari Weinzweig
I love it when we can find ways to make our food better. Thanks to my friend Andrea Reusing, chef-owner at the lovely Lantern in Chapel Hill, we were able to score a new source for wonderfully flavorful wild-caught North Carolina shrimp a few years ago. Andrea had connected Roadhouse head chef Bob Bennett with the folks at Locals Seafood in nearby Raleigh, and we’ve been happily buying—and eating—shrimp (and also some great fish) ever since. They are so seriously good!
This month, Roadhouse chef Bob Bennett has put these amazing shrimp into a wonderfully delicious Shrimp Burger. To make them, the wild-caught shrimp are gently cooked, then peeled and cleaned. The Roadhouse crew then coarsely chops them—the uneven pieces give a wonderful variation in texture that enhances the eating experience. The cooked shrimp are then mixed with chopped parsley, shallots, chiles, and egg; shaped into patties; and then grilled until golden brown. Served on a Bakehouse brioche bun with smashed pickle slaw (you might want to order the salad as a side even if you don’t get it with a Shrimp Burger) and a housemade remoulade sauce.
About Locals Seafood shrimp
The Locals Seafood story starts back in the later years of the aughts when Ryan Speckman was living on the Outer Banks. He made friends with a bunch of fisherfolk who were bringing amazing fresh fish and seafood home for dinner. In 2010, he and his longtime friend Lin Peterson lamented that they couldn’t get comparable quality in the central part of the state. Soon they were selling wild shrimp caught off the coast of Stumpy Point Bay out of truck, and a few years later, they had a fish shop and restaurant in Raleigh and a thriving wholesale business. They’re featured in Edible North Carolina, a collection compiled and edited by culinary historian and wonderful writer Marcie Ferris. Of their outstanding work, the Locals crew offers:
We’ve forged strong personal relationships with the folks who catch, harvest, and process the product we sell … these relationships result in a better product for our customers and a shorter supply chain for our seafood. We know where our product came from, when it came out of the ocean, and how it was caught or harvested.
North Carolina shrimp like what we get from Locals are rightly renowned for their clean flavor and finish—they’re the top choice of many of the country’s best chefs. The reality of the shrimp market, unfortunately, is that most shrimp sold in the U.S. are anything but. My friend Melissa Clark, writing in the New York Times, shares, “Domestic, wild-caught shrimp accounts for less than 10 percent of all the shrimp we eat in this country.” Chef Edward Lee in Louisville says, “Most farmed shrimp from Asia have no detectable flavor, good or bad.” The Locals’ shrimp is the opposite—80% come from Pamlico Sound and the rest from boats fishing just off the coast, nearly all of which are caught by “day boats” which fish and return quickly to port to ensure freshness. You really can taste the difference. The flavor is mellow but meaty, clean, and complex with a beautiful long finish.
About the shrimp burger
This month, Roadhouse chef Bob Bennett has put these amazing shrimp into a wonderfully delicious Shrimp Burger. To make them, the wild-caught shrimp are gently cooked, then peeled and cleaned. The Roadhouse crew then coarsely chops them—the uneven pieces give a wonderful variation in texture that enhances the eating experience. The cooked shrimp are then mixed with chopped parsley, shallots, chiles, and egg; shaped into patties; and then grilled until golden brown. Served on a Bakehouse brioche bun with smashed pickle slaw (you might want to order the salad as a side even if you don’t get it with a Shrimp Burger) and a housemade remoulade sauce.