The Vermilion Bay Sweet White Shrimp gumbo pack is now available in Rouses Markets in Lafayette and Youngsville. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
by Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
As soon the cool winds from the north hit the waters of the Louisiana coast, gumbo pots start firing up. In Cajun country it is all the about gumbo, especially seafood gumbo. Experienced chefs, at home or in restaurants, know a key ingredient in a seafood gumbo is having a proper sized fresh Louisiana wild caught shrimp with a fantastic flavor – guaranteed.
This years slow shrimp season has left many cooks wondering whether their gumbo pots will be without shrimp.
To meet an ever-increasing demand for fresh, quality gumbo-sized shrimp, the Port of Delcambre and Delcambre Direct Seafood program have introduced Vermilion Bay Sweet White Shrimp gumbo pack. The 70-90 count (pieces per pound) is the perfect size for a wide variety of uses including gumbo, fettuccini, po’boys and pastas, and carrying the “Certified Authentic Louisiana Wild Seafood.
Ready for the Big Time
The new product will be available at two Rouses Supermarket locations, Lafayette and Youngsville. Vermilion Bay Sweet was originally developed as a premium, hand-peeled jumbo shrimp package.
“The shrimp numbers have been down this year, with more in the smaller sizes,” said Thomas Hymel, a marine agent with Louisiana Sea Grant and director of the Louisiana Direct Seafood program. “Small shrimp have traditionally been sold to commercial processors at a much lower price point. It’s been hard for fishermen to make a living on small shrimp that consumers are not as keen to buy fresh and peel.”
“We’ve taken a secondary product, smaller shrimp, and created a viable, delicious gourmet shrimp brand,” explained Thomas Hymel. “With a major player like Rouses on board, this offers new opportunities for the shrimpers.”
With a depressed shrimp harvest, the Vermillion Bay brand is an effort to create a viable product that will increase profits to fishermen.
Fished exclusively in Vermilion Bay, the shrimp is peeled, deveined, vacuum packed and frozen without the use of sodium tripolyphosphate, a flavor killing preservative.
“We’ve taken a secondary product, smaller shrimp, and created a viable, delicious gourmet shrimp brand,” explained the LSU Sea Grant agent. “With a major player like Rouses on board, this offers new opportunities for the shrimpers. Not only are we creating a demand for this smaller shrimp, but also the volume sold at a grocery store will allow the fishermen to benefit financially. Our long-term goal is to get a small portion of the profits back to the fishermen.”
“Boutique” Project
The project, designed by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and Louisiana Sea Grant, brings a locally branded product into the marketplace.
In the future the Vermillion Bay product line will be expanded to include black drum, catfish and crab products. Photo: LSU Sea Grant
To meet the expected demands of gumbo pack, the Vermilion Bay project has enlisted one of the states largest and most modern processors, Gulf Crown Seafood of Delcambre, to produce and package the new product.
“Gulf Crown has worked closely on all phases of this project,” said Hymel. “They have been instrumental in addressing the issues of the quality and the safety of product.”
For the gumbo pack to succeed on the shelves, it is important to have quality in the plant. Working with local boat captains, Gulf Coast has developed a quality control process to produce a very high quality shrimp.
A modern packaging line recently installed at the plant will package the shrimp in one-pound clear plastic vacuum packages. The shrimp are then quick-frozen to remain that way till thawed for use.
“We wanted this shrimp pack to be just like if you bought the shrimp fresh off the boat and peeled them yourself … with nothing added but shrimp,” explained Hymel. “In the future the Vermillion Bay product line will be expanded to include black drum, catfish and crab products. We are proving consumers want a product that tastes right off the boat, something we can deliver.”
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