Dixie Crossroads Shrimp Lore

Dixie Crossroads is famous for shrimp – Reds, Whites, Pinks, Brownies, “Hoppers” and, of course, our trademark specialty…Rock Shrimp, the sweetest little delicacy to ever come from the ocean.

One of Florida’s most exciting rites of spring involves “dipping” shrimp during annual shrimp migrations. Armed with long-poled nets, coolers, elaborate lighting systems and even small generators, enthusiasts line up on bridges to wait for nightfall when travelling shrimp become visible as they pass through circles of light illuminating the dark water. Many shrimpers arrive in the early afternoon and sit for hours, guarding what they hope will be the most productive spot from which to scoop the elusive crustaceans.

Many species of shrimp lead a dual life, spending the first part of their time inshore and the remainder in the open ocean. Hatched at sea, juvenile shrimp spend the early part of their lives as drifting oceanic plankton. Within 2 weeks after hatching, young shrimp become active swimmers. They instinctively move toward shore, navigating through inlets and into shallow estuarine nursery areas. Florida’s most important nursery grounds include the Indian River Lagoon system and the St. Johns River on the East Coast, and Charlotte Harbor, Estero Bay, Tampa Bay and the vast inshore waters near Apalachicola on the Gulf of Mexico. The shrimp increase in size very rapidly, especially when water temperatures are warm. As the shrimp grow, they move gradually seaward, presumably in response to salinity. Near spawning time, adult shrimp move out of estuarine waters in large numbers (called “runs”), heading for inlets in order to return to the ocean to spawn.

The products of these runs are world famous: Key West Pinks, Texas Browns, Georgia Whites, and Cape Canaveral Browns, to name a few. At Dixie Crossroads you can taste the same shrimp that the midnight dippers work so hard to catch – and you don’t have to spend a chilly night dangling over a bridge railing to get them.

Our fresh shrimp comes from a fleet of over 25 full time commercial shrimpers. The shrimp are stored then cleaned by hand at our local processing plant, Cape Canaveral Shrimp Company. As various species are seasonal, Dixie Crossroads serves different shrimp throughout the year, depending on what is available at the time. It is quite a challenge to estimate how much of a particular type of shrimp must be put away in order to last until the next one comes in season. In a typical year, Dixie Crossroads will serve up to 7 or more different kinds of domestic shrimp.

Summer:
Rock Shrimp start showing up in the Gulf of Mexico on a little piece of bottom located south of the rustic Florida Panhandle town of Apalachicola around the middle of May. Rock Shrimp usually appear off Florida’s East Coast in June. They begin their lives, as do many other valuable commercially harvested species, in the unique Oculina reef system. Unlike many species of soft shrimp, they do not use inshore waters as a nursery. The juvenile shrimp grow rapidly, moving further offshore to deeper water where the currents of the Gulfstream sweep them north. Rock Shrimp boats work steadily at night all summer long, many coming from as far away as Texas and North Carolina. Some of the Gulf boats are quite large, more than 110’ long, capable of dragging four 40’ flat nets at one time. Fishing pressure on Rock Shrimp is intense.

Historically, Rock Shrimp were found as far up the East Coast as Virginia. Due to over-fishing, they now rarely make it much further north than Cape Canaveral. Dixie Crossroads owner, Rodney Thompson, began a campaign to halt destructive bottom-trawling in the nursery grounds within the Oculina coral reefs, as well as institute a management plan for Rock Shrimp, in 1994. Initially, he was met with major resistance from captains, boat-owners and owners of fish-houses. As catch rates crashed at an alarming rate, the people who depend on Rock Shrimp became more supportive. In 2001, a new precedent was set when they sat down together to draw up a management plan, which the South Atlantic Fisheries Council unanimously approved. It was the first time a group of fishermen not only agreed that management was necessary -- they produced their own blueprint for doing so. Through conservation, stocks of this unique little hard-shelled delicacy, “the shrimp that tastes like lobster”, should recover.

Mid-summer brings the first of the Cape Canaveral Golden Brown Shrimp. Harvested from mud bottom well out in the ocean, Brown Shrimp have a very firm texture and a mild salty taste due to their preference for higher salinity. Like other shrimp, they start out small (40 to 50 shrimp per pound) and grow rapidly, reaching an impressive U/15 count (15 shrimp or less per pound) by late fall. Cape Canaveral Golden Brown Shrimp are Dixie’s premier shrimp. By late summer the Texas Brown Shrimp arrive. Caught in very muddy bottom in the Gulf of Mexico well off the Texas Coast, they are similar in taste to the Cape Canaveral Golden Brown Shrimp, however, like other Gulf shrimp species, Texas Brown Shrimp do not have the nice firm texture of Florida’s East Coast Browns. Brown shrimp are active at night, burrowing into the ocean bottom during the daytime.

Fall:
When November Northeasters start to blow, White Shrimp leave the bays and sounds of South Carolina, Georgia and North Florida, heading for the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike Brown Shrimp, White Shrimp do not move into deep water far from the coast after migrating from inshore to offshore waters. Instead they move parallel to the shoreline – southward in fall and early winter and northward in late winter and early spring. They move down the coast of Florida seeking warmer water, ending their journey on vast shoals just offshore of Cape Canaveral. When you observe shrimp boats fishing in the daytime right off of our beaches, they are dragging for white shrimp. Due to their preference for more brackish, low salinity waters, White Shrimp are sweet and tender -- the preferred choice of shrimp boat captains and local coastal residents. Many consider White Shrimp to be Florida’s finest-tasting shrimp. During early fall, Rock Shrimp continue to grow, and their fishing season peaks. By late fall the big trawlers are gone, leaving behind a handful of smaller boats who scrap for pockets of Rock Shrimp the rest of the fleet passed by.

Winter:
Fishing continues for White Shrimp, Brown Shrimp and Rock Shrimp off the East Coast of Florida, although the catches are small due to inclement weather and earlier fishing pressure. A few hardy souls drag way off the shores of Texas and Louisiana scrapping for Brown Shrimp despite the fact that winter weather is miserable in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Near the end of winter, Pink Shrimp begin their migration from Florida Bay to offshore waters west of the Florida Keys.

Spring:
Night dragging for Pink Shrimp is in full swing off of Florida’s Southwest Coast. Pink Shrimp seem to prefer higher salinities and course bottoms of coral mud or sand and shell, which they burrow into during the day. Rock Shrimp catches dwindle to a mere trickle and become non-existent by mid-March. Declining payloads make the more difficult Royal Red Shrimp fishery more attractive to shrimpers. Those captains with large boats that are capable of working in this rugged fishery rig up their deepwater gear and head offshore.

Royal Reds move up and down the continental shelf, preferring a specific temperature zone that is usually found around the 200-fathom curve (2400 feet deep). Ranging roughly 40-60 miles out from Jacksonville to Ft Pierce, Royal Red shrimpers work just inside the strongest flowing currents of the Gulfstream, enduring tides that average 3-5 knots. Royal Reds are also found about 100 miles west of Key West, as well as below the mouth of the Mississippi River. The boats tow two big flat-nets, one from each side of the vessel. They pull against the tide, operating engines near full throttle in order to maintain headway. Fuel bills for Royal Red shrimpers are much higher than those of inshore fishermen.

Each net requires more than 1.5 miles of cable in order to drag the bottom at the extreme depths in which the vessels operate. A shrimp boat can overturn very quickly in conditions like these when a net hangs. The mired net acts as an anchor, causing the boat to pivot sideways in the tide. The swift moving current then pushes the anchored boat over. Once the gunwale submerges, the disabled vessel quickly fills with water and sinks. The crew must react quickly to cut the cable leading to the anchored net, abandoning thousands of dollars worth of gear on the ocean bottom. Lost gear further adds to the expense of working in this fishery. Compounding the risks, Royal Redders fish in major shipping lanes, continually dodging freighters as they work. The end product of their heroic efforts has a unique taste and tender texture that you won’t find in any other shrimp.

In early April, small brown shrimp fall out of the bays and estuaries of Florida’s Central Gulf Coast. Nicknamed “Hoppers” by the shrimpers due to the way they flip and jump when the net empties on the boat-deck, these relatives of the Key West Pink Shrimp are sweeter than their southern cousins.

We invite you to return often to enjoy each of these unique Native Florida Specialties.
The Thompson Family

The Rock Shrimp King

Have you ever wondered how rock shrimp became such a popular seafood product? Thirty-five years ago this small little crustacean couldn’t even be given away, never mind eaten.

Well, Rodney Thompson, the founder of Dixie Crossroads, has a very interesting story to tell about how rock shrimping all began. This is not just another fish tale!

According to Rodney…[Back in 1969, we used to be one of Titusville’s best local boat builders. One day I decided I wanted to be a “King”…King Shrimper, that is. In order to do this, we built the first fiberglass shrimp boat ever to be made in the western hemisphere. This 73-footer was a beauty, but we really had a hard time making her bank payments catching brown shrimp.

One lonely afternoon, we tied up at Port Canaveral next to the NOAA research Vessel, Oregon II. Smiling down at us, Captain Barrett looked at our empty nets and grinned, “Do you want to make a million dollars? I’ll show you how!” We were hesitant, but we were starving. The next day, in the wake of the Oregon II, we found ourselves 20 miles east of Melbourne. Down went the sample nets. After a number of “tries,” not one brown shrimp was to be found. Upon Captain Barrett’s orders, we dropped our large nets as the sun went down. After an hour of trawling, we decked over 1,000 pounds of “peanuts,” “trash” or “hardheads”…those which we all know and love as rock shrimp. As we stood there looking at the huge pile of rock shrimp, Captain Barrett’s remark was, “Captain Rodney, if you ever figure out how to sell those “peanuts,” you will sure make a lot of people happy!”

After heading the shrimp, we shipped them to fish markets throughout the country. No one would bite. I paid for the shipping costs but I couldn’t even give the rock shrimp away. Their hard shells made cleaning them too difficult. Equally daunting was the presence of a large sand vein. If you didn’t get that vein out, chewing the rock shrimp was like eating a mouth full of beach sand.

I’d bring home garbage cans full of rock shrimp after each trip and challenge family members and friends to dream up ways to serve the little delicacies. Perseverance did finally pay off. One Sunday afternoon, pondering over what to do, my daughter, Captain Laurilee, said, “If the rock shrimp taste like lobster, what would happen if we cooked them like a lobster?” She split one, buttered it and threw it under the broiler…and it, of course, was delicious.]

Rodney’s underlying love for rock shrimp led him to create Dixie Crossroads. Opened on January 1, 1983 as a thirty-seat diner, Dixie Crossroads today is recognized as one of the country’s more unique restaurant experiences. Their menu is seafood at its best – not masked by sauces, pasta, or extenders – just cooked in the “Old Florida” tradition and served to you with Southern Hospitality.

Rodney and his staff would like to invite everyone to come and experience his delicious rock shrimp. To some they’re only “peanuts,” but to the Rock Shrimp King, they’re better than lobster!

The Rock Shrimp Conservation Story

Atlantic rock shrimp begin their lives in a rare deep-water reef system that stretches for over 90 miles along the shelf edges at depths of 200-300 feet off the eastern Florida coast. Known as the Cones, Steeples, and Humps, these reefs consist of large pinnacles and ridges, which can sometimes reach amazing heights of over 100 feet. The reefs are built by the ivory tree coral, Oculina varicosa, a branching stony coral that lives as isolated colonies from North Carolina to the Caribbean. However, the stretch off of Florida is the only place in the world where massive Oculina reefs have been found.

The rock shrimp industry began in 1969, when Titusville boat-builder, Rodney Thompson, invented a machine that could split them, making it easier to crack them open for removal of a large sand vein. Rock shrimp quickly became popular as a local seafood delicacy. Rodney established a processing plant at Port Canaveral, where Captain Sam Vona and his sons operated a fleet of shrimp-boats that produced nearly all of the rock shrimp processed at Thompson’s plant, Ponce Seafood, Inc. The Vona Family was careful to protect their resource, and they never fished in the Oculina nursery grounds. For the next ten years, Ponce Seafood processed about 10 million pounds of rock shrimp a year, employing dozens of women who cleaned every shrimp by hand.

Most other processors used big Lathram machines to mechanically peel and de-vein soft shrimp. Rock shrimp could not be peeled with a Lathram – their shells were just too hard. Processors weren’t interested in rock shrimp because of the intense amount of hand labor involved in their cleaning. Because of their indifference, the market value of rock shrimp stayed well below that of soft shrimp.

In the mid-1980’s, a Mississippi company, Pascagula Ice, became the first processor to successfully modify a Lathram so that it could be used to peel rock shrimp. Pascagula Ice then seriously undercut the price of peeled soft shrimp since they could purchase rock shrimp at a considerably lower price. Other processors quickly modified their Lathram machines and created an instantaneous consumer demand for the cheaper processed rock shrimp meats.

The race was on and dozens of trawlers steamed for Florida’s East Coast. Soon, the Vonas were surrounded by Gulf shrimp boats. Some of the super-trawlers were quite large, 110 feet long and capable of dragging four 60’ flat nets at one time. The bigger boats could catch and freeze more than 7,000 pounds of shrimp per night. The industry peaked in 1991, when more than 40 million pounds of rock shrimp crossed Florida’s docks.

Unable to withstand the pressure, rock shrimp catches rapidly declined and prices skyrocketed. The super-trawlers moved further south and offshore into the nursery grounds, causing irreparable damage to the fragile reefs. Dragging nets with heavy chains, they plowed through the beautiful ivory tree corals creating paths they called “goat trails.” Modern electronic technology made it easier for shrimpers to drag safely in the same paths, reducing the chance of hanging, and losing, their nets in the coral. Deckhands shoveled millions of pounds of small dead rock shrimp back into the ocean as they culled out the few marketable ones to bring to the dock for sale.

In 1994, recognizing that something had to change dramatically before rock shrimp completely disappeared, Rodney (now the owner of Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant) began a campaign to stop destructive bottom trawling within the Oculina nursery grounds, as well as create a management plan for rock shrimp. He encountered major resistance from the industry, which strongly resisted any efforts to establish controls on where they fished or who could join the fishery. Unable to procure enough rock shrimp to last all year, Dixie Crossroads began to run out of them every spring. Catch rates continued to plummet and in 2000 less than three million pounds of rock shrimp were offloaded in Florida.

Finally recognizing that their livelihoods truly were at stake, industry partners became more supportive. In 2001, a historic precedent was set when, under Rodney’s guidance, they worked together to draw up a management plan for rock shrimp, which the South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council unanimously approved. It was the first time a group of southern fishermen not only agreed that management was necessary--they produced their own blueprint for doing so.

No longer can trawlers drag through the nursery grounds within the fragile Oculina reefs. No additional boats may enter the rock shrimp fishery. Only time will tell whether their plan was drawn in time to save the stocks of this unique little hard-shelled delicacy, the “shrimp that tastes like lobster.”