A shrimp dish is one of the finest shellfish on the seafood menu, known for its tender and succulent meat. Although it looks simple. Yet, there are a few protocols that you need to follow when it comes to cooking shrimp.
Tools You Need:
You need two tools to prep shrimp one is a deveining tool, which you will be used to remove the vein. The other is a paring knife that will help you open the shellfish.
1. How to Choose the Right Shrimp?
These are some things that you need to keep in mind while choosing shrimp. One way to check for fresh shrimp is that it will smell fresh. Avoid buying shrimp that smells like ammonia. At the market, the fresh shrimp would be on or on ice. To prevent it from going bad.
If you decide on buying frozen shrimp, remember a few things. Never buy shrimp that were peeled and deveined before freezing. As this may cause them to lose flavor and texture. Always look out for leakage or frozen surface ice on the frozen shrimp. This tells you that the shrimp went defrosting and then frozen again. This would increase the chances of it going bad.
Remember that if you’re iodine sensitive, don’t buy brown shrimp. As these shrimps have natural iodine found in them.
2. How to Prepare the Best Shrimp Dish?
First, add 1 to 2 tbsp salt to 1 quarter of water. Put the shrimp in the saltwater to refresh it. Another helpful way of keeping them fresh is to place them in ice water to keep the shrimp fresh.
You only need to clean the shrimp with fresh water to make it ready to cook. Remove the head if need be. Just gently pull the head away and discard it.
The black vein you can see along the back of the shrimp is its digestive tract. Normally, these veins do not alter the flavor. Only if they have a high amount of digestive material in them, then they might. The removal of these veins is more for appearance. After all, many people want good-looking food along with great taste. Thus, deciding to remove or not to remove is solely on you.
You can devein the shrimp using a simple utility knife. You can cut the back of the shrimp for reaching the vein. Then pull it out with the knife or your fingers. It is optional to devein.
Removing the shell before deveining the shrimp is not at all necessary. You can easily insert the deveining tool through the shell. Then make a shallow cut in the shrimp along with the curve of the knife. Then push the knife from the head to the tail of the shrimp gently. This will make the vein stick to the blunt end of the knife. While the sharp edge will cut along the shrimp’s shell.
Now when you are looking to remove the shell, first you need to detach the legs. Or you can use your thumbs to peel back the sides of the shrimp shell. Then pluck away any remaining legs.
Now, peel the shell away from the body. The tail can also come off simply. Hold the body gently and pull the tail. The shell will also come off along with the tail.
3. How to Store?
Shrimp is a very sensitive and perishable seafood item. If you aren’t cooking it immediately, the chances of it going bad are enormous. Remember to cook the shrimp within two days of purchase or catch. Otherwise, they will lose their optimum taste.
One way to ensure that these delicate shellfish remain good is to keep them cool. Store any shrimp that you won’t be cooking in the coolest part of the refrigerator. The best way is to place them on ice and cover them with wax paper to store. The wax paper makes sure that the air circulates the shrimp and doesn’t go stale.
If you decide to cook the shrimp and then store it, remember to eat it within 2-3 days. Otherwise, it has the chance of losing taste or going bad.
If you freeze the shrimp correctly, it can last for up to six months at your home. But the downfall to this is that the frozen shrimp loses its texture. Remember that once you defrost frozen shrimp make sure to keep it in a cool environment. You can keep them in a refrigerator and use them within three days. Never refreeze the defrosted shrimp as it makes them stale and might go bad to make the perfect shrimp dish. You never want to have stale shrimps on your seafood menu.
4. How to Marinate?
The marination of these delicious crustaceans depends on their marinade. If you decide to use an acidic marinade that uses lemon, or lime, then marination of 30 minutes works. If you marinate them for more than 30 minutes, it will have consequences. The delicate shrimp meat will begin to break down due to the acid and get all mushy. On the other hand, alkaline marinades allow you to marinate for an hour or more. These include the materials like herbs, olive oil, and garlic. In any case, keep the marinate in the fridge unless you’re ready to cook the shrimp dish.
5. How to Cook the shrimp Dish?
Never turn your back! As soon as you start to cook the shrimp, make sure never to walk away from it. As shrimp cook so quickly that one mistake can lead to overcooking or burning them. Even the largest of shrimps only take about a couple of minutes. One way to tell that they’re ready is that the shrimp will turn a little pink and start to curl in a C-shape. As soon as this happens, they’re ready. While grilling the shrimp on a skewer, keep a close eye on the color. As you can’t tell the change in the shape of the shrimp. Always keep a few trial shrimps to cut and check. Once done add them to the shrimp dish you are preparing for your seafood menu and enjoy!
