My week of shrimp.

Last Sunday I took my 9 year old son to his first concert; Simple Plan at The Vic. As it was his birthday present he was allowed to choose the food. His two favorites are BBQ and shrimp (yes I'm very proud:)) so I suggested Silver Seafood as it was across the street from the concert venue.

We had salt and pepper shrimp exta crispy, shrimp in black pepper sauce, and baby clams in black bean sauce. The clams were simply amazing, although I missed the crispy chow fun that they come on top of at LTH. The S&P shrimp were also fantastic, the extra crispiness made them much easier to eat and the flavor was good. They were about the tastiest shrimp heads I've had. The shrimp with black pepper sauce was ok but Andrew raved and ate the entire entree aside from the one that I snagged. I thought the sauce was paste like in it's glutinousness but Andrew just picked the shrimp out and scarfed them down like a man possessed!

That meal flipped a switch and this past week I've been all about the shrimp.

Mon: Shrimp al ajo at Las Islas Marias down on ummm...Pulaski I think. Very good but would have been better had I made sure to specify shell on. The little bowl of ceviche they bring out is the best amuse/starter in its' price range anywhere IMHO.

Tues: Pizzsa night at Candlelite with the kids. We split one sausage and mushroom and one shrimp for the hell of it. The pizza was good but the shrimp were better picked off and eaten separately which we did.

Wed: shrimp ceviche from Supermercado Morelia in Rogers Park. Cheap, pristinely fresh shrimp in a bright tomato onion and cilantro mix mad e for a wonderful early dinner.

Thurs: seafood risotto at Freddy's in Cicero. This was way better than I thought it would be, creamy risotto served from a sheet pan absolutely chock full of shrimp, calamari, baby octopus, baby clams, and mussels. The clams were the only sour note in the melange, they had a pronounced fishy taste and I left them on the plate, but that was the only thing left! The shrimp were particularly good, large, plump and not dried out.

Fri: Camarones aguachiles from the Las Islas Marias on Clark in Rogers Park. These were all right but defintely not the best thing I've had at LAM.

Sat: By this time I was starting to get shrimped out but I realized I was on a roll and wanted to do the week theme justice so I stopped for some fried shrimp at Lawrence's, very goody, not greasy and just the thing on a cold day, I ate them in the cab of my truck.

Today I rested.


All in all a good week, I have to say Silver Seafood's excellence was welcoming as I have previously posted my dissatisfaction with the place, I'm glad the concert was near and Andrew wanted shrimp.

That said, I'm gonna be eating in for the next few days:)

Silver Seafood
4829 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
773-784-0668

Candlelite
7452 N. Western Ave.
773-465-0087

Freddy's Pizza
1600 S. 61st Ave., Cicero
708-863-9289

Las Islas Marias
6635 N. Clark St.
773/973-4752

Lawrence's Fisheries
2120 S. Canal
Chicago
312 225 2113

we've been driving by lawrence fisheries on the semi-daily basis for almost a year, and finally made it a few wks back.

there was a discussion a few months back on the freshness of the shrimp @ the Fisheries, so the regular shrimp was skipped. instead, we had the popcorn shrimp which were absolutely addicting. the thick crunchy breading + frying covered up any nastiness which may have persisted. the fish chips were not spectular, so next time, i think the smelts are in order.

while dining in, saw my first ever bridge raising in Chicago... yah, i know, i'm such a tourist:

TonyC wrote:the fish chips were not spectular, so next time, i think the smelts are in order.

I wouldn't rush to try the smelt, unless the idea of smelt-as-corn-dog appeals to you. Here's my take