Foodie Friday - Shrimp!

Goodness, Friday comes fast!

I nearly considering 86-ing the feature this week in favor of a post about finally getting our shipment and how wonderful it was to open everything. But Foodie Friday won, so you'll just have to wait a day or two for the other post (perhaps the more exciting post too...).

A trip into the center of Bergen is always fun. The famous fish market (Fisktorget) and Mathallen (food hall) down by the Bryggen is always crowded - full tourists and locals. We went down there on a nice afternoon, and spent time looking at everything. We came home with some Reindeer sausage, which is yummy, and loads of shrimp.

I've only had the shrimp experience like this once before, and that was when I was living in Stavanger (I should say staying, I wouldn't call what it was living). Never have I experienced this in the states, but that just might be the way I grew up and I've never known any different. In any case, I'll explain.

You buy the shrimp, bring it home and put it in a big bowl.

Get an extra bowl for the heads, tails, and shells.

Haul out the white bread (apparently it must be white, "legend has it" - aka, according to Stian), butter, and mayo.

So what you do is pick up a shrimp, rip off it's head, rip off it's tail, spread it's legs and pull of the rest of the shell to get to that delicious meat we're so familiar with inside. You can also suck out the caviar inside the ones with eggs. I found that repulsive. And then I tried it. And then I confirmed it was repulsive. 

About to be decapitated. Poor thing.

The remains. Unwanted heads and tails.

After you've gotten the meat out, take a piece of bread, spread some mayo or butter on it, and pile on those shrimp that you've worked ever so hard for. 

Needless to say, you work hard for a meal like this. You have to wash your hands about 3 times before the stink is gone and you might find random shrimp legs on your table the next day, but there is one good thing to say: it was delicious. 

Next week I'll share about something I made in my new pots and pans with my new cooking utensils and spices, and ate off of my new plates. Recipes welcome!