Having problems with shrimp...

[Anau]

Maybe it's just my bad luck but everytime I've eaten shrimp in mt life, it has always kinda rubbery. Is that just the way it is or have I just not experienced a properly cooked shrimp?

[shannon in KS]

My opinion... it can get rubbery really fast, especially if overcooked- which does not take long to do. A lot of shrimp you buy is already precooked, and you cook it again, and then it is overcooked once again. I am not sure how to tenderize it, rather just making sure you cook it briefly. We love grilled shrimp! Like I said, I am not sure if marinades have the same tenderizing affect on shrimp like other meats.... Hopefully someone here can give some other tips! I buy frozen, uncooked shrimp, it is OUTRAGEOUSLY priced here to buy it fresh , but usually marinate and grill or quickly stirfry it.

[masteraznchefjr]

i agree cook it quickly. shrimp cooks really quickly. first thaw/ defrost the shrimp, then under high heat cook it until its orange shrimpish color, after it turns that color all around count to 5 and remove from pan and make sure to stir around the shrimp a lot when cooking shrimp.

[Anau]

Ok, so what about soups? I had tom yum Thai soup in mind. Would you have to take into account that the hot soup would continue to cook the shrimp after you serve it? Is it bad to eat undercooked shrimp?

[tootstl]

First, use the right kind of shrimp. Either buy fresh, wild caught shrimp (pricey) or buy frozen, uncooked wild caught shrimp THAT DOES NOT HAVE PRESERVATIVES! May be hard to find in some areas, but it is available. The preservatives, number one, are not good for your body; and, number two, turn the shrimp into mush (Cook's Illustrated tested frozen shrimp a while back, cannot remember issue date) and proved this theory.

Another thing to be aware of, especially to those with anti-biotic allergies, is the possible contamination of farm raised shellfish with anti-biotics. Believe me, I learned my lesson the HARD WAY! I am allergic to penicillin and we went to the local Big Boy on a Friday for the all-u-can eat seafood buffet and ate the shrimp cocktail. WHAMO-allergic reaction! I suffered for 2 weeks! Asked manager and sure enough, the shrimp were farmed. I no longer eat seafood off of buffets!

Another thing, refrain from using previously cooked shrimp. You might as well throw a couple of rubberbands in the soup!

And yes, the shrimp will continue to cook after you put them in the soup. I dare say, you may want to get the soup up to simmer and toss in the shrimp (thaw first if using frozen) just prior to serving. Just take off of the heat and leave covered for approx. 3 minutes and you should be good to go!

As far as undercooked shrimp, that would depend on the quality of the shrimp to begin with.

Hope this helps! Warm regards,

Lori

[Constance]

Here in the Heartland, most of the wild shrimp we buy as "fresh" was pre-frozen on the boat and thawed at the store.
Shrimp takes such a short time to cook, that undercooking it is not a problem. If you're boiling shrimp, for instance, put your shrimp in the boiling liquid, cover and bring to a boil, and it's DONE!
Pre-cooked shrimp is not totally useless...it's fine for shrimp coctail or salads. When you love seafood, and live as far from the ocean as I do, you learn to do the best you can with what you have.

[lindatooo]

I am not an expert on this but I know some foods (like calmari) you either cook a very very short time or a very long time for them to be tender. This is true also of clams and I suspect shrimp so if it's in soup it would tenderize as it continues to cook. When I prepare Coconut Shrimp, for instant, 3 minutes is perfect (at 375) 3 1/2 minutes is chewy.



2

[Andy M.]

If it's rubbery, it was overcooked.

You can eat it raw.

Frozen raw shrimp is often all that's available. 95%-99% of all shrimp sold at retail in the USA is frozen. If it's frozen at the source and properly handled, it will be just fine and 'fresher' than never frozen shrimp that's been travelling and/or sitting around.

Properly cooked shrimp is a pleasure. Keep trying.

[abjcooking]

When I cooked my seafood gumbo I cooked the whole thing, turned off the burner and took the pot off the stove, and then threw the shrimp in. Right when the shrimp turned pink I served it and it came out perfect.

[hellschef]

not much else to say about the lil buggers, heck i love this place just for the tips alone. ya can never learn enough!!

hook em Horns