DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Bad Manners and Brimstone
HTML https://badmanners.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Life in General
*****************************************************
#Post#: 81476--------------------------------------------------
Shellfish in a restaurant etiquette
By: jpcher Date: August 18, 2024, 5:47 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I went to a new (to me) Italian restaurant today. The food was
delicious, the service was top notch.
I ordered a lobster and shrimp dish (don't remember the Italian
name for it) served over homemade pasta in a lemon/wine/garlic
sauce. Oh.My.Goodness! It was dancing on my tastebuds. So
awesome. I would definitely order it again.
Except! The shrimp still had the shell on the tail. AND the
lobster tail was served in its (cracked down the middle) shell.
There is no easy way, that I know of, to extract this wonderful
meat from its shell (after it's been covered in sauce).
Okay, I did cut the tail-shell off the shrimp with fork and
knife. Easy enough, but then I thought there's about 1/3 of the
shrimp still in the shell and sucked it out. Was I rude for
doing this? I've had tail-shell on shrimp before and always
wondered why they did this? It's just hard to eat!
Same with the lobster tail. Even though it was split down the
middle, it was difficult getting the meat out of the shell with
fork and knife. I ended up using my fingers to hold the sauce
covered shell while using my fork to extract the meat.
Is that how it's supposed to be done? Is it an experience thing
that should be enjoyed? Or is there an easier way to get the
shellfish meat off of the shell that I'm missing?
OR would I be rude, if I went back and ordered the same thing,
to ask them to make the dish shell-less?
#Post#: 81483--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shellfish in a restaurant etiquette
By: Hmmm Date: August 19, 2024, 9:51 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Tail on shrimp in pasta is pretty common in my area. It should
only be the part of the tail that would be discarded anyway if
they are peeled correctly. Some people eat the tail "shell" but
I don't like it so just cut it off. The tails actually have a
ton of flavor which is why they are often left on.
For the lobster tail, you should be use a knife and fork to lift
the tail out of the shell and then cut it into bit size pieces.
You can always ask for a small plate to move the tails or
lobster shell to if you don't want to leave them in your pasta
bowl.
If you ever order New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp, be warned they
will come out with the head and entire shell still on in a very
buttery sauce and you are to just supposed to peel and eat them
with your fingers. Very messy but very good.
#Post#: 81490--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shellfish in a restaurant etiquette
By: lowspark Date: August 21, 2024, 1:22 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I'm not a huge fan of serving shrimp in its shell, but as Hmmm
says, it's pretty common around here. If it's shrimp, I can deal
with it. Over time I've gotten pretty adept at it. But I'm not
sure I could do lobster without digging in with my hands. So
yeah, it's gonna get pretty messy.
If it's enough of a nuisance, I probably just wouldn't order the
dish again.
[quote author=jpcher link=topic=2608.msg81476#msg81476
date=1724021250]
would I be rude, if I went back and ordered the same thing, to
ask them to make the dish shell-less?
[/quote]
I don't know if I'd call this "rude" but *I* would not do it.
I'm a firm believer in ordering a dish as it was intended to be
served.
NOT saying this about you jpcher, but I know people who always
order dishes with a bunch of changes to them. I understand "no
onions" or "dressing on the side", those kind of minor things.
But in the end, if you're finding yourself requesting a
fundamental change to the dish, then maybe order something
different.
I would think that asking the kitchen to shell your seafood in a
dish that was meant to be served shell-on would be a no-no. They
might decline -- which is an issue in itself because it leaves
both the kitchen and the customer with a bad feeling, or they
might do it but resent it. I never want the kitchen to be
unhappy when they are preparing my food.
#Post#: 81491--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shellfish in a restaurant etiquette
By: Rose Red Date: August 21, 2024, 7:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I have a hard time with foods like spaghetti and large dumplings
since I make a mess. Sometimes even using a knife gets messy or
don't work. I recently brought a kid's food scissors with a
cover that goes over the blades and keep it in my purse. The
type of scissors that parents use to cut up their toddler's food
into bite size chunks. I've already used it a few time and love
the thing!
I can see myself using it for the lobster unless it's at super
fancy schmancy restaurants.
#Post#: 81492--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shellfish in a restaurant etiquette
By: holly firestorm Date: August 21, 2024, 8:25 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Not only tail on shrimp, but some places serve them with the
head on, too. Just make sure they are "de-veined" because that's
not a vein. It's their poop shoot.
I presume that those blanks mean the lobster was served with the
roe intact. This is also considered a delicacy many places,
including among seafood aficionados here in the US. My Dad
always used to make it that way. He also used to broil it with a
bread stuffing added.
But, if you were having that much trouble dealing with it, you
should have asked the waiter/waitress to assist you. They SHOULD
be experienced in dealing with this.
#Post#: 81493--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shellfish in a restaurant etiquette
By: Aleko Date: August 22, 2024, 1:46 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I agree with lowspark that if seafood is served in the shell
that’s how it’s meant to be, and I also wouldn’t ask them to
change it. If not using one’s hands would mean leaving half the
yummy stuff uneaten, I would say totally use hands. Just ask the
staff to provide you with either a finger bowl and extra napkin,
or a damp towelette. This is an absolutely legit thing to
request: indeed, anywhere they serve crustaceans in such a way
that you’re going to have to get them out of their shells
yourself really ought to provide it as a matter of course.
A harder call is, when they have just left the tails on the king
prawns, to judge whether there’s enough meat left inside to
justify picking them up. Sometimes restaurants leave half the
tails still in the shell and then your course is clear: go for
it! But if just the end of the shell is left and using knife and
fork alone still leaves one delectable bit out of reach, then -
with profound regret - I’d leave it. It’s like looking at a
cutlet and seeing that there’s just one mouthful you could get
by nibbling that you can’t get with cutlery; something you might
do at a family meal but at a restaurant or dinner party, no.
*****************************************************