From the Heart (of Texas): Wild Kingdom (Monday)

There were shrimp boats in the pass and so we headed out in our boat, at 7:45 Monday morning, to see if we could spot dolphins. On our way out, pelicans glided along the surface of the water looking for breakfast. Behind the shrimp boats trolling their nets, seagulls worked. And dolphin. Several dolphin. Mommies and youngsters, swimming and spouting behind the nets. "Mommy, I see one. I see another. And another!" Bud cried out as he watched several pairs of dolphins surface. "And they're in the wild." Yep, this was the real Sea World Texas. Sis said, "I see an eye!" They were practically winking at us (Mama took several amazing pictures). And so we followed and watched for more than half an hour. Seeing live swimming dolphins really is just one of the most incredible things. It never fails to amazae me. Then, we pulled up beside the shrimp boat, Vietnamese streaming over the CB radio, and watched the lone shrimper empty his nets. Besides the shrimp, he had minnows and mullet and a single small ray. We bought huge shrimp directly off the boat. Talk about locavore. Those shrimp had been swimming under us just minutes before. And now they were lunch! (and probably dinner and even lunch again). I think they were some of the biggest shrimp I'd ever seen, something like 4-6 count (i.e. to the pound!). We used much smaller bait shrimp to fish in the harbor later. And within just a minute or so of Pop baiting Bud's hook, Bud had a big catfish on his line. He was almost too amazed to pull it in and needed help with the long pole (no reel on this rod). He just kept jumping up and down that he caught a fish. Of course, this is so-called "sports fishing," a term coined by one of the bay friends, meaning that the fish are unhooked and returned to the wild mostly unharmed. There were a few more nibbles but no more bites, but each nibble bought us 15 more optimistic minutes of fishing. Sis was disappointed not to catch anything. So we'll be going back. Though, upon returning to the house for lunch (of grilled shrimp and sauteed shrimp, both in Thai sauces that Mama got from Ma), we noticed that something had bitten or stung Bud, a huge whelp developing on his right inner thigh with a pinprick point of contact in the middle of a red raised lump the size of my first. Spider? Ant? Jellyfish? No telling. But Aunt Banana, R.N., recommended hydrocortisone cream and ice--and so Bud slept through lunch. But he'll be all rested up for more exploring of the local wildlife again soon.

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Grilled Shrimp with Thai Dipping Sauce

Shrimp
grill with heads on if possible
Skewer the shrimp so it doesn't bend while cooking
grill skins until dried and charred

Sauce:
fish sauce
hot chilies (prik ke-nu preferred, but used jalapenos this time), minced, chopped, and in rings
minced garlic
fresh lime juice
sugar
Mix together to taste and let stand of at least an hour
Shell shrimp or remove legs and eat with skins on

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Shrimp with garlic and chilies
shell/de-vein shrimp
heat oil in skillet
place shrimp in single layer, when the shrimp starts to color, turn the shrimp
Add minced garlic, chilies, soy sauce, fresh ground pepper, a couple of tablespoons of water (crushed cilantro roots can also be added)
Cover and 'steam'
Remove from heat and serve when shrimp is cooked

Mama Hungry via Ma Hungry