Company tests authenticity of gulf shrimp served in Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Most of us like to know what we’re eating and where it came from, especially when it comes to shrimp. Louisiana law even requires that all restaurants proclaim if they use imported shrimp. However, a shrimp testing group visited several restaurants across the state and discovered that proximity doesn’t equal authenticity.

SeaD Consulting teamed up with the Southern Shrimp Alliance and the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force to randomly test seafood in Louisiana restaurants. Here in Lake Charles, the team tested 24 randomly selected restaurants.

“We look at what they say on the menu. We took a sample. We usually ask a question about the authenticity of the product, so we say, ‘Is this local shrimp?’ and very rarely do they say no,” David Williams, a SeaD Consulting tester, said. “Because local sells, Gulf sells, so even if they might be lying about the origin of the shrimp, they make money because of it.”

If you’re ordering shrimp locally, it is most likely caught right here in the Gulf. Nineteen of the 24 restaurants passed with flying colors. That puts Lake Charles as the second most honest city with 79% authenticity, right behind New Orleans with 87%.

Williams explained the testing process.

“We want the tiniest little piece possible that we can get because the bigger the sample, the less likely it is to work. Very simply, we’ll take the shrimp in the bag, and we take the tiniest little piece like that, we’ll put it into the test tube, then into the PCR machine,” Williams said.

The tests compare the shrimp’s MRNA to see if it’s the real deal.

Louisiana can celebrate, since the state ranks high among other Gulf Coast states put to the test.

The team hopes to expand its program to crawfish in the near future.

As mentioned earlier, only 24 randomly-chosen restaurants were tested. The list can be found below. If you don’t see your favorite, it doesn’t necessarily mean they failed:

Also, the names of the restaurants that “failed” have not been released to 7NEWS from SeaD.

• JT’s Seafood – 2908 Lake St.
• Mazen’s – 217 West College St.
• Salt Revival Oyster Co – 3420 Ryan St.
• Darrell’s – 119 West College St.
• Golden Hooks Seafood & Chicken – 3505 Ryan St.
• The Cajun Wharf – 3500 Ryan St.
• Steamboat Bill’s – 1004 North Lakeshore Dr.
• ESPN BET Sportsbook – 777 Ave. L’Auberge
• Tad’s Louisiana Cooking – 3624 Ryan St.
• Pujo Street Café – 901 Ryan St.
• Nina-P’s Café – 1600 West McNeese St.
• Southern Spice Restaurant & Grill – 3901 Ryan St.
• Mr. Bill’s Seafood Express – 500 East McNeese St.
• Buffi’s Peaux Boys – 345 Broad St.
• Crying Eagle Brewery – 1165 East McNeese St.
• Luna Bar & Grill – 719 Ryan St.
• MacFarlane’s Celtic Pub – 417 Ann St.
• Landry’s Seafood House – 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd.
• Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse – 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd.

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