Wild salt shrimp?

[Guest guest]

I finally got around to making a batch of kimchee, and I forgot to rinse

the salt shrimp, so now it's way too salty. That got me thinking again

about the origins of these cheap salted baby shrimp it's possible to get

very cheaply at Korean markets. The jar I used says nothing on the subject

that I can read, but I'm guessing, given the price, that the shrimp are

farmed, and if they're farmed, how nutritious are they, really?

If I'm right, is it possible to get wild salt shrimp?

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[Guest guest]

--- In , Idol <Idol@c...>

wrote:

> I finally got around to making a batch of kimchee, and I forgot to

rinse

> the salt shrimp, so now it's way too salty. That got me thinking

again

> about the origins of these cheap salted baby shrimp it's possible

to get

> very cheaply at Korean markets. The jar I used says nothing on the

subject

> that I can read, but I'm guessing, given the price, that the shrimp

are

> farmed, and if they're farmed, how nutritious are they, really?

>

> If I'm right, is it possible to get wild salt shrimp?

>

>

>

> -

You don't really need " salt shrimp " . My last batch I just ran some

whole shrimp thru the blender and they worked fine (shells and all).

I expect the Koreans are used to salt shrimp because that is what

they could GET (not many freezers in the old days).

-- Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

Heidi-

>My last batch I just ran some

>whole shrimp thru the blender and they worked fine (shells and all).

>I expect the Koreans are used to salt shrimp because that is what

>they could GET (not many freezers in the old days).

Did the shells wind up dissolving? I guess that'd be the way to go, then,

though I'd miss the incredible cheapness of salt shrimp. <g> Also, salt

shrimp come with their heads on, whereas it's often hard to find

regular-sized shrimp with heads. Not impossible, though, I guess.

-

[Guest guest]

>My last batch I just ran some whole shrimp thru the blender and they

worked fine (shells and all).

>

> -- Heidi Jean

Why do you put shrimp in your kimchi? We make kimchi frequently, but

have never put shrimp in. Would you have to worry about food

poisoning? I would be hesitant to put in shrimp as I have had seafood

food poisoning twice now and it is NOT fun.

- Ann

[Guest guest]

> Did the shells wind up dissolving? I guess that'd be the way to go,

then,

> though I'd miss the incredible cheapness of salt shrimp. <g> Also,

salt

> shrimp come with their heads on, whereas it's often hard to find

> regular-sized shrimp with heads. Not impossible, though, I guess.

>

> -

I ran them through the blender (which you are supposed to do with the

salt shrimp too) so I don't know if the shells dissolved or not

though. The shells are supposed to be important for taste though (and

nutrition, I would think!).

I never have any problem finding shrimp with the heads on, but maybe

that's because of the Asian consumers. I've heard you are supposed to

make tempura with the heads on, fried crispy, and eat the whole thing.

And it is the shrimp *shells* that are used for flavoring stuff like

shrimp crackers.

If you are being cheap though, the way to go is DRIED shrimp. They are

probably still farmed though. Actually I wonder if your local fish

store would sell shrimp heads cheap, or fish heads for that matter. I

suspect pulverized fish heads would make fine kimchi.

-- Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

> Why do you put shrimp in your kimchi? We make kimchi frequently, but

> have never put shrimp in. Would you have to worry about food

> poisoning? I would be hesitant to put in shrimp as I have had seafood

> food poisoning twice now and it is NOT fun.

>

> - Ann

Shrimp is a traditional ingredient of kimchi. That or fish sauce. Most

of the shrimp that is used is dried or stored in salt, and not likely

to give anyone food poisoning, but sometimes they are boiled and

strained (or anchovies are boiled and strained). Sometimes beef broth

is used too (minus the fat, which would be gross in kimchi).

Food poisoning comes from some bacteria that proliferates at room

temp, usually something like listeria, which is EVERYWHERE. It has

nothing to do with raw meat in general ... raw meat usually is

sterile, meaning it has ZERO bacteria. Some raw meat is contaminated,

notably poultry because of the way it is processed, and hamburger.

However, most people who get food poisoning get it from something that

seems harmless, like improperly reheated leftovers (the BIG culprit!).

So if you want to avoid food poisoning, be careful with leftovers!

A second cause of " food poisoning " is dysbiosis, which can happen

because the gut bacteria are just out of whack and the mix is easily

destabilized. I get a mild dysbiosis when I eat too many sweets,

usually something idiotic like 12 chocolate chip cookies at a sitting.

Kimchi is generally rather acidic though, and the bacteria that cause

food poisoning just don't survive well in acid. The levels of salt,

red pepper, acid, garlic, and the bacteria that normally exist in

cabbage also combine to kill off the baddies. You can add a little

extra acid at the start of the ferment for extra safety, which is what

I do ... usually about 1/2 cup of kimchi juice from the last batch (if

the last batch was good, not if it tasted weird to you), but a bit of

cider vinegar was traditional in pioneer America for vegie ferments.

Adding seafood to the kimchi probably won't affect " food poisoning "

issues one way or the other. Like I said though, if it worries you or

you aren't sure of the source, you can boil the seafood and then put

it through the blender (my shrimp are blended into a paste, so they

just add flavor and you don't have to see their little beady eyes

staring at you amongst the cabbage ...). Or add Thai " fish sauce "

which does something similar.

Adding protein to the kimchi DOES increase the amount of glutamate in

the kimchi though, which is likely one reason it's so popular. If you

are very sensitive to glutamates, you might not want to do that. MSG

makes me dizzy and spacey though, and kimchi does not, so I don't

think the glutamate issues are the same in kimchi.

Also: keep some Pascalite or Pepto Bismol on hand if you are prone to

food poisoning. It is NOT FUN, I've had it too ... but the two P's are

both good at killing " bad germs " and restoring the natural order of

things. (Katja will probably pipe in and say that something like oil

of oregano is good too, but I haven't experimented with those).

-- Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

Heidi-

>I ran them through the blender (which you are supposed to do with the

>salt shrimp too)

That much I remembered to do. (It's funny how the eyes seem to stay intact.)

>If you are being cheap though, the way to go is DRIED shrimp.

I didn't entirely like it with dried shrimp, though. Next time around I'll

see what I can find in wild adult un-beheaded shrimp, though.

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