Cooking shrimp??

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mcc1961

Assistant Cook
Joined
Oct 17, 2010
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I have a pound of medium sized shrimp and was wondering how long to boil them?When I get the water boiling and put the shrimp in the water it stops boiling should I count this as cooking time or wait till it starts boiling again to start the time?Thanks,Mike
 
I have a pound of medium sized shrimp and was wondering how long to boil them?When I get the water boiling and put the shrimp in the water it stops boiling should I count this as cooking time or wait till it starts boiling again to start the time?Thanks,Mike

Keep stirring them and wait until they all turn pink and begin to curl.

Take them out right away and shock them in ice water to stop the cooking if necessary.

It only takes 2-3 minutes usually. Times may vary depending on how much shrimp you add to the water. The more boiling water the better.:chef:
 
Yep, what Zhizara says! It's way less about watching a clock than it is about recognizing when it's done with your eyes. They cook way faster than you'd think they do; pink = done!

One of the best recipe descriptions I read was for an Indian dish. Never once did they say "saute for six minutes". Instead, they described how things should smell and look and feel before you were ready for the next step. It was poetic. =)
 
IMO, if you want a much better flavor, try steaming them using Old Bay. The directions are on the can/package. The biggest problem I think people have with shrimp is over cooking them. I have found that when steaming, bring them up to a steam from cold. For mediums, once steaming, go 1-1-1/2 minutes at full steam and then pull from the heat. Let stand covered a couple minutes then check one for doneness. If done , shock them in ice water. This is my favorite method for peel-n-eat and shrimp cocktail.
 
It's like Jimmy Buffet says, "Smell those shrimp just beginning to boil" When you can smell them they're done, usually before it can get back to a full boil. Keep stirring, or some will be done while others aren't.
 
It's like Jimmy Buffet says, "Smell those shrimp just beginning to boil" When you can smell them they're done, usually before it can get back to a full boil. Keep stirring, or some will be done while others aren't.

That is cool, I thought I was the only one who cooked a lot of things by smell.

Josie
 
Yea, it should only take a few minutes to boil, if they are the average 24-30 count. I made shrimp cocktail once where I used a brine of water, salt, and sugar before I boiled them. I also made some home made cocktail sauce. It worked out pretty well.
 
i usually just go 3 minutes and then take them off the burner for another minute or so, they always come out great for me
 
Never boil shrimp! Bring the water/soup/stew/broth to a boil, turn off the heat, add the shrimp and let them steep, like tea, for 3 minutes, then serve. Once shrimp in liquid comes to a boil, they immediately begin to toughen!
 
Never boil shrimp! Bring the water/soup/stew/broth to a boil, turn off the heat, add the shrimp and let them steep, like tea, for 3 minutes, then serve. Once shrimp in liquid comes to a boil, they immediately begin to toughen!


I agree.

And for mediums, Id check after 2 min.
 
Brining

One of the pitfalls of cooking shrimp is that, as some have noted already, they begin to toughen very quickly and become rubbery. When this happens, they tend to be dry and not very much fun to eat. Brining is a way to overcome this.

Brining uses osmosis to take a substance of a higher concentration (in this case salt and water) into a product of lower concentration of those ingredients (in this case shrimp). Essentially, the proteins begin to denature, unraveling and forming new bonds. As they do so, they trap both water and salt in this newly formed structure. When cooked after brining, they stay juicy and moist due to the water trapped in the newly form protein bonds.

In addition to the methods mentioned above, brining is a technique that allows a cook to have shrimp that are moist and seasoned as well. I've used it not only for shrimp, but for chicken, pork, etc. In a word, it works.

The ratio to remember is 1 cup (approximately 9.6 ounces) of kosher salt per gallon of water for a basic brine. The larger the food item being brined, the longer one should let it sit in it. I normally do shrimp for about a half hour or so, chicken wings about the same, and whole chickens/pork roasts about 2 hours or more. I do whole turkeys either overnight or about 5-7 hours, depending on the size of the turkey. I'm sure there are plenty of places on line to look for recommended brining times, but these general guidelines have worked well for me.

Once the shrimp is brined, drain, rinse to remove excess salt, and cook as desired.
 
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