Many years ago, I lived along the coasts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. I was fascinated by the abundance of fresh seafood.
I remember a man that pulled a little wagon along the streets of Savannah Beach, selling bushel baskets of fresh, live oysters. Also, when the shrimp boats came in, you could buy some of their catch right off the boat. (People used to rave that it was half the price of what markets charged, but since the shrimp were sold with their heads on, you still had to throw them away. The heads were half of the total weight, so I probably wasn’t saving any money. But they sure were fresh.)
I have always enjoyed shrimp, but I am getting very picky these days. I do not like to buy the frozen ones that are sliced down the back. If I plan to boil them for a peel-and-eat meal, the meat seems to absorb too much water and becomes squishy. It isn’t easy, but I try to only buy shrimp that have not been cut down the back.