Last Updated on June 3, 2023 by Ellen
If you like to cook your own shrimp, go see the famed Shrimp Ladies in Mazatlan. Many consider this Mexican city to be the shrimp capital of the world!
There are giant shrimping boats on the horizon or at the port. Restaurants all over the city serve huge portions of shrimp. But as cheap as those restaurant dishes are, say $7 or $8 for a large plate of food, you can spend $7 – $9 for more than two pounds of uncooked, fresh shrimp – right off the boat!
The price is based on shrimp size and sizes range from small to giant, all for sale in a spot the locals call the street of the ‘Shrimp Ladies’.
It’s a city block where people sell raw shrimp in ice buckets.
Most of the vendors are women. The entire block smells of shrimp.
Tedly bought one kilo, that’s 2.2 pounds, of large, fresh shrimp. He cleaned them and cooked them and feasted on them for three days. Shrimp tacos, shrimp with butter and garlic, cold shrimp, spicy shrimp.
I have no idea how good they were, because I’m vegetarian I didn’t eat them. Uncooked, they looked totally unappetizing. But I must say, cooked, they looked pretty good. (I still won’t eat them, though.)
So where are these Shrimp Ladies who sell scrumptious protein bites from the sea? Las Changueras set up on Aquiles Serdan, between Alejandro Quijano and Luis Zuniga. A map is here.
How to buy from the Shrimp Ladies in Maztlan
The vendors will pick your shrimp once you tell them what size shrimp you want from which bucket, and how much weight.
If your sense of smell is good, try to smell them.
The more “fishy” they smell, the less fresh they might be. Also, the more slimy they are, the less fresh they may be – firm flesh is best.
And flesh color matters – you want to buy gray flesh, not pink.
Below is a picture of shrimp in a bucket still on the street. Underneath these shrimp is an ice block. The shrimp pieces on top aren’t as chilled. On the left you can see shrimp that look more pink than gray. They seem to have been sitting there awhile. You can even see some shrimp in a sun spot on the far right side of the picture. In the sun, away from ice, turning pink. This means they likely aren’t super fresh.
Now compare the above picture to the one below. It shows what Tedly brought home – the shrimp meat is gray. The picture below appears to show fresher shrimp.
Just take your time when you buy, and you can always check the selection the vendor has chosen for you when they hand you the bag.
If you see a few you don’t like, ask the Shrimp Ladies in Mazatlan to replace them.
No problem. And usually, there is no problem – I don’t want to make it sound like there is. The street of the Shrimp Ladies is a great place to get fresh shrimp, straight from the sea.
One more pointer: try to go in the morning.
The shrimp appear fresher, although the Shrimp Ladies are there until just before the sun sets.
Here’s a shot of how Tedly’s creation turned out. He said it was some of the best shrimp – at the best prices – he’s ever had in his life.
So how will you cook your catch from the Shrimp Ladies in Mazatlan?
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Bubble Bursting time… Shrimp boats remain at sea until the holds are full; no less than a few weeks and usually over a month. They freeze the shrimp as they are caught. The shrimp that “Las Changueras” (the shrimp ladies) or any other vendors sell has been frozen and thawed. The only fresh shrimp are the farmed shrimp which are whiter and mushier.
Well, I know the shrimp still come from local waters and not a farm in China. ?
It reminds me of the women we saw working in open-sided platforms just inland from the beach, shelling raw shrimp. They stood at high tables, with not even a stool to sit on, working with incredible efficiency and speed. We were dumbfounded to see some of them shelling little tiny, tiny shrimp, and to realize that when we buy a bag of precooked shrimp like these, each one was hand shelled by a Mexican woman who couldn’t even sit down to do it.
oh damn those shrimp tacos look good! do you peel and devein them all before cooking or after? I was served a stir fry one time with the shell still on them….yuck Looks like lottsa work but I guess for Tedly, very worth it ?
Before cooking. And during that process and the cooking I open a window or leave for awhile since it’s kinda smelly and I don’t eat seafood anymore lol.