How to cook shrimp: recipe, subtleties and life hacks

What you should pay attention to

If you do not live near the ocean, buy only frozen shrimp

Fresh shrimp is a perishable product. Unfrozen shrimp should be cooked the same day they are caught. But since most of us live quite far from the fishing grounds, these crustaceans come to us exclusively in frozen form.

If you come across chilled shrimp in the store, do not believe it: they were simply defrosted. So don't take risks and only buy frozen food.

Give preference to shell-on shrimp as it is easier to tell if they are spoiled. If the crustaceans smell of ammonia, do not eat them. Most likely, they are overdue.

Defrost shrimp before cooking

If you throw unfrozen shrimp into boiling water, the temperature of the water will drop and the meat will cook unevenly. For quick defrosting, place the crustaceans in a bowl and place them in the sink under a gentle stream of cold water. But in any case, do not defrost shrimp at room temperature or in warm water: this will negatively affect the taste.

Remove the intestines gently

If you remove the intestines of the shrimp with a blunt knife, only lumps will remain of it. Instead, carefully cut the carapace along the back with kitchen scissors, and then carefully pull out the black vein of the intestine with the tip of a knife or scissors.

Boil shrimp with head and shell

Shrimps are tastier when cooked unpeeled. Plus, if you oversalt the water, the shell will protect the meat from excess salt.

But even if you have already peeled the shrimp before cooking, do not throw away the heads and shells. Boil them with salt, herbs and vegetables for a great broth for shrimp soup.

Don't cook the shrimp for too long

There is a simple way to determine readiness: the straight shrimp is undercooked, in the shape of the letter "C" is ready, and the curled into a ring is overcooked. If you don't want tasteless gum, don't cook seafood longer than necessary.

How to cook shrimp

The minimum kit you will need is a large saucepan, water, and salt. The volume of water should be twice the volume of the shrimp. As for salt, for shrimp without shell, you need to put no more than 1 tablespoon for every liter of water. If you are going to boil unpeeled shrimp, add 1–1.5 tablespoons per liter.

Boil water and add salt. Some people prefer to do without spices, so as not to interrupt the delicate taste of this seafood. But if you want to add spice to the meat, put a small bunch of dill, cloves, allspice, bay leaf, a couple of cloves of garlic or a slice of ginger in boiling water and pour in the juice of half a lemon. The set of spices depends solely on your preferences, so experiment and look for your own combination.

After the water boils, dip the shrimp in it. When the water boils again and the shrimp shells turn bright pink and begin to pop up, turn off the stove.

Small shrimps should be boiled for no more than 2 minutes. Large (royal and tiger) are cooked from 3 to 7 minutes, depending on the size.

Many people stop at this stage, fish hot shrimp from the broth, wait for them to cool down, and then serve them on the table. But the fact is that the meat does not cool down instantly, which means that it continues to cook even after you have drained the hot water.

To stop the process, pour the freshly cooked shrimp into a bowl of cold water and ice cubes. Then immediately discard the crustaceans in a colander. After that, you can immediately serve them on the table, or you can let them cool down a little more.