You would be hard pressed to find a local in Central Florida who hasn’t heard of Dixie Crossroads in Titusville, or who doesn’t hanker of the restaurant’s specialty – rock shrimp. In fact, when you know the story, you quickly learn that the two are synonymous. Known to fishermen as “peanuts” or “hardheads” for their especially hard shell, there was a time when shrimpboat crews literally shoveled rock shrimp over the side as garbage, often chucking 5,000 – 10,000 pounds overboard while deckhands sifted to find brown shrimp. That was until Dixie Crossroads owner, Rodney Thompson decided to reverse the trend, and in doing so he spawned an entirely new industry. After inventing a commercially viable way to split their shells, Thompson literally created a new product and market demand for this little known oddity from the Atlantic ocean. Witnessing his success, other processing plants soon followed suit and today, rock shrimp, which have a taste more akin to lobster, are among the sweetest delicacies on the East Coast. Dixie Crossroads alone can serve up to a ton (2000 lbs) of rock shrimp, a dozen at a time. The crustacean’s sudden popularity has also put pressure on sustaining its stocks. It wasn’t too long ago when rock shrimp were found as far up the east coast as Virginia, now they rarely make it much further north than Cape Canaveral. And the Thompson family has picked up the gauntlet. An ex-commercial fishing boat captain for swordfish, tuna, grouper and snapper, Rodney’s daughter, Laurilee, knows first hand the ramifications of over-fishing. With her associate’s degree in oceanographic technology, Laurilee was able to apply scientific principles to her fish hunts, Laurilee became one of the industry’s biggest producers. “The fish didn’t have a chance”, she quips. CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY Check back regularly for the latest choice of destinations hand- picked by Greatest Getaways.com editor, Chris McBeath |
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