Cooking Shrimp
A Beginner’s Guide to Cooking Shrimp
Any seafood lover will tell you that there is more than one way of cooking shrimp. Some are healthier, some are tastier and some are easier. This is a quick guide that any beginning cook can use to cook up a delicious batch of shrimp.
Cooking shrimp is not difficult. No matter how it is cooked, it never takes very long since even the biggest shrimp are fairly small. Actually the most time-consuming part of cooking shrimp is the preparation time. The job of shrimp prep will vary depending on how the shrimp is purchased.
If the shrimp is frozen, then the first step is to thaw it out. Shrimp should be thawed out either in the refrigerator or in cold water. In the fridge, it can take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours per pound of shrimp. The water method generally takes a couple of hours per pound. Never thaw shrimp – or any other meats or seafood for that matter – at room temperature. This can allow dangerous bacteria to form that may cause serious illness.
Once the shrimp is thawed out, it is on to the tasks of shelling and de-veining. Again, the work here depends on how the shrimp has been purchased. If it is already shelled and de-veined, then the hard part is already done. If not, it is up to the chef.
Shelling a shrimp is easy. Simply hold the tail and pull the shell from the body of the shrimp. De-veining is a bit more complicated. After the shell is removed, take a sharp knife and make a small cut down the back of the shrimp. After the cut is made, a dark colored vein will be visible running down the length of the shrimp. Using the tip of the knife, pick out the vein and rinse the shrimp in some cold water. Now the shrimp is officially de-veined and the cooking can commence.
There are many different ways to cook a shrimp: boiling, broiling, steaming, deep frying, grilling, sautéing, baking. No matter how the shrimp is cooked, though, timing is the most important factor. Shrimp takes very little time to cook, generally around 3 or 4 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp. Larger shrimp will take a bit longer, and smaller shrimp take practically no time at all.
One of the most common ways to cook shrimp is by boiling. To boil shrimp, the water must be brought to a rapid boil first. Add a few pinches of salt to the water once it starts to boil. Next add the shrimp, cover the pot and reduce the heat. The shrimp will cook up very quickly. When they turn pink, they are done. Remove the shrimp from the cooking liquid immediately to stop the cooking process and prevent them from overcooking and becoming tough.
The last step is to eat the shrimp and enjoy!