Throw a Shrimp on the Barbie

My brother, brother-in-law and I were sitting around talking the other night. Robert, my brother, told us about his recent trip to Hawaii. He was staying just down the road from a small farm and every morning he took a walk to buy fruit. The woman at the stand would ask him what time of day he planned on eating the fruit so that she could give him the right ones. As she bagged it up he'd get instructions like, "Eat these two mangos for breakfast and the other one will be good this afternoon." I love the idea that each piece of fruit was different to her and that she knew that a few hours could change everything.

Dennis, my brother-in-law, chimed in with a story of his own. He and my sister and their kids spend time on Oak Island in North Carolina every summer. This year Dennis was sitting on the porch looking out at the water and noticed a shrimp boat coming in; they walked down to the dock and bought three or four pounds of shrimp that had been caught just a few hours earlier. Dennis, who eats seafood every chance he gets, said that it was the best shrimp he'd ever had.

I know that it's starting to seem like a cliché that local food tastes better, but it isn't. So forget about saving small local farms and producers because it's good for the environment—save them because it's good for your palate.

And though the trend is moving towards local food, there are plenty of small farms and producers that are threatened every day. Ironically, I live in the largest city in the U.S. and can easily access local produce. My friends and family that live in the heartland don't have farmer's markets anywhere near them. That's crazy.

If we want to continue to share stories about a farmer who knows the exact time that a mango should be eaten or a fisherman who sells his catch right from the boat, we need to keep local farmers in the black. I'm not suggesting that you eat only what is grown within a 50-mile radius, but we should all know our regional specialties. It may not be as picturesque as a shrimp boat from a North Carolina island, but it will likely be just as good. So go find whatever is local to you and make the most of it.

For information about eco-friendlier shrimp, see "Organic Shrimp's Hopeful Debut."

Grilled Shrimp and Scallops with Jalapenos

By Dennis McBride
Serves 2-4

Dennis likes to serve the shrimp and scallops over garlicky long grain brown rice pilaf.

1 pound wild-caught or organic shrimp, peeled, with tail intact
1/2 pound scallops, rinsed and cleaned
2 small onions, cut into wedges
4 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half and seeded (leave the stem on)
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the lime juice, oil, garlic, mustard, paprika and cardamom in a medium size bowl. Toss in the shrimp and scallops and allow to marinate for at least one hour. Thread onto skewers with onion wedges and jalapenos and season with salt and pepper. Grill for two to three minutes on one side, turn over and grill for another two to three minutes. Remove and serve with lime wedges.