Fried Shrimp Heads?

[rosiemac75]

Does anywhere in Manhattan have fried shrimp heads on the menu? I have heard at EN you can ask for them, but they are not on the menu. I have been having a craving, a strange one, I know... Donguri sometimes has the small, little fried shrimp (not sure what they are called) and that would do, although I prefer the larger heads...Any suggestions?

[AdamD]

You can sometimes buy them at Sunrise mart. Delicious.

[pauliface]

In japanese restaurants, they serve them but they're not on the menu as such.
You have to order "sweet shrimp" aka amaebi.
They serve you the whole raw shrimp.
You eat the tail part raw (delicious!) and save the head, then they fry the head and bring it back to the table.

Three times recently I had this.
BUT.... they did not offer to fry the heads. Rather, when they served the amaebi, we asked if they would fry the heads. The server went back, asked the chef, came back with a yes, and brought the heads later.
(This happened at Sugiyama and En, and my sister's secret place I'm not allowed to name.)

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Sugiyama
251 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019

[Silverjay]

It's better to order and do it with botan ebi　(ぼたん海老) if available. Amaebi are too dinky.

[JJBCooks]

Not sure about NYC but in CT I have had for chinese new year wok fired whole Jumbo shrimp done so crispy you ate shell and all. The head had such a delicious taste. It is the only time I have seen such a dish

[Cheese Boy]

I'd say this is more a Japanese thing.

You can email Duff at [e-mail] , because he devoured a bunch of them on an episode of FN's The Best Thing I Ever Ate -- Episode EV0101 entitled "Totally Fried". I'm sure he could find out something for you, or maybe *another* FN celeb can.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/shows/episode/0,1000011,FOOD_32078_63428,00.html

http://www.josscafe-sushibar.com/

[kobetobiko]

Deep fried shrimp heads isn't specific to any cuisine, but of a way for chefs to utilize the shrimp heads when the shrimp meat (bodies) is used for something else. Most often when shrimps are prepared as sashimi in Japanese or Thai cuisines, the shrimp heads are fried so that the customers can enjoy the whole shrimps without wasting the heads (thought like myself many Japanese will happily chow down the raw heads...) Of course others may use the shrimp heads for soups.

Salt and pepper whole shrimps is a different dish and the shrimps used tend to be too small for to serve with just the head alone. I have seen when jumbo shrimp meat is used to make the famous "glass shrimps", the heads are deep fried and served as a condiment.

[diprey]

Salt and pepper (whole) shrimp is a classic Chinese dish. I would imagine, any Shanghai-style restaurant would have it. All it needs is fresh shrimp and a hot wok. Not so sure about shrimp heads: never had a stir-fry shrimp head alone: other people may have a different experience

[Silverjay]

Discussed last year at this time- http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/520417.

[gcwells]

Try Mara's Home made. Very casual, fun. I know they have crawfish heads to suck, but you should call to see if they have shrimp heads. Seems like if they have the one they should have the other.

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Mara's Homemade
342 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10003

[sam1]

besides thai and japanese and most asian places, the only american-esque place i can think of is the salt-crusted shrimp at mary's fish camp. i had them the other night actually...they should be a bit more fried if one is to eat the head but they were tasty.