Goatfeathers - Steamed Royal Reds- yuck!!!

[Em]

Hmmm? Shrimp from Indonesia (Publix), or shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico right now??? Let me think about it... Maybe we need a heavy dose of the Old Bay with either.

Much like the fear of oil all over our beaches from people watching the news, the fishing industry in the Gulf is also receiving some major hits right now. Is seafood out of the Gulf safe right now? I haven't seen any reports one way or another. Much of the fishing areas have been closed, then there is also the fact that most fisherman have turned into BP subcontractors and they aren't fishing at all. Even after the oil is cleared, I think people will have a huge mental obsticle of eating seafood from the Gulf for quite a long time. That entire industry will need heavy promotion and many assurances of safety from numerous types of testing. Sad, but likely true.

 

[scooterbug44]

Are they open now? I thought were were temporarily closed because of the oil spill and not being sure of getting a clean supply of fish?

They reopened a week or 2 ago. I would call first, as it will depend on the changing conditions.

 

[Geo]

I have had nothing but great service and great product from the west end Goatfeathers market. I have never tried the reds. I make it a point to ask for only a light dusting of Old Bay when I get their steamed shrimp.

We should give them a chance to post their side of the story.

 

[zip]

I was told that you did not steam royal reds. Boil them or saute them.

 

[Andy A]

I was told that you did not steam royal reds. Boil them or saute them.

This sounds right. And then you only boil them for 2 to 3 minutes. I'm with Geo on this one. The only difference is I'd ask for lots of seasoning vs. the light dusting. Goat Feathers Happy Hour has turned into one of the best values on 30A. $4 appitizers which includes 1/2 lb of steamed shrimp, $1.50 drafts and $3.00 Margaritas. This is a bar menu but I think it applies anywhere in the bar area. You can check and see. The service is great and very friendly. I really think it is one of the most under rated places in the SoWal area.

 

[ameliaj]

Hmmm? Shrimp from Indonesia (Publix), or shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico right now??? Let me think about it... Maybe we need a heavy dose of the Old Bay with either.

Actually, our shrimp from Publix were wild caught gulf. They do have them sometimes. Though that is not my usual spot for getting fresh shrimp, but we were too late to stop at Buddy's on the way in. We were just rolling into town and looking for a quick dinner. It all looked good on paper until we opened the package. You know the drill. Give me two pounds steamed with Old Bay and I'll be back to pick them up. I try my absolute best not to eat any shrimp from Indonesia, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos. Way too many chemicals over there. Not to mention, the taste and texture are totally different--that's a real yuck!
The guy in the seafood dept just got shaker happy with the Old Bay. Must have put half a container in. But again, the manager was most accommodating.

But, when we returned the shrimp, we had the receipt and almost all of the 2 lbs we bought still swimming in the Old Bay.

 

[Iris]

We purchased 15 pounds of steamed Royal Reds yesterday from Goatfeathers. The shrimp had heads on (everytime we've bought in the past they have asked head on or off) and the shrimp were disgusting. They were extremely mushy and had a nasty brown juice oozing from them.
We had 25 people eating who were sadly disappointed. Thankfully we had corn, potatoes and bread to eat.
Called this morning and basically was told tough luck...royal reds are soft....which we all know is not true. We were also told they've never sold them with heads off...which we have bought every year for the last 6 years. We told them we were going to buy more later in the week but wanted to make sure that we would be getting shrimp that were cooked corrrectly and the manager/owner basically
dismissed our concerns. We weren't asking for a refund or anything just letting him know about the product that was sold to us. Sorry, Goatfeathers but we won't be buying from you again. Can anyone tell us who has good steamed Royal Reds for sale?

We pass both Goatfeathers and go to Sexton's in Destin. Best prices around and really fresh. They don't cook, but boil those Royal Reds for 2 3 miuntes with some crab boil and they are perfect....and hot when you want them. Good luck.

 

[TimeIsFree]

go to Buddy's above the Y in PCB. Have always had excellent shrimp & fish from them, including last week, and never a problem w/ the Reds (they steam them shorter than the others). the sniff test is always a good idea. when i do that at home, the monger always knows he's getting sized up and acts like i'm asking something crazy.

the publix at the west end of pcb had gulf caught shrimp while we were there over the 4th.

Murray, according to news reports, the amount of testing being done on the seafood out of the gulf these days is greater than prior to the spill, so it's probably safer.

i ate as much local seafood as i could last week. i wish i could do it again this week...