The main feature of seafood is its unique taste. This can only be achieved if all the conditions for proper preparation are met. It’s not at all difficult to cook seafood, so there shouldn’t be any difficulties with how to cook frozen unpeeled shrimp.
How do you prefer to cook shrimp?
- Fry in a pan 51%, 1487 votes
1487 votes 51%1487 votes - 51% of all votes
- Boil 40%, 1159 votes
1159 votes 40%
1159 votes - 40% of all votes
- Cook on the grill 8%, 234 votes
234 votes 8%
234 votes - 8% of all votes
- Bake 2%, 47 votes
47 votes 2%
47 votes - 2% of all votes
Total votes: 2927
19.05.2020
- Fry in a pan 51%, 1487 votes
1487 votes 51%1487 votes - 51% of all votes
- Boil 40%, 1159 votes
1159 votes 40%
1159 votes - 40% of all votes
- Cook on the grill 8%, 234 votes
234 votes 8%
234 votes - 8% of all votes
- Bake 2%, 47 votes
47 votes 2%
47 votes - 2% of all votes
Total votes: 2927
19.05.2020
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Cooking rules
Fresh and frozen shrimp of different types and sizes are suitable for cooking. It is worth paying attention to the fact that if you are going to cook king prawns, you should increase the cooking time. This should be done so that the seafood meat does not remain raw, and also so that there is no seaweed taste left.
More often in supermarkets you can find already boiled frozen shrimp along with the shell. Before cooking frozen unpeeled shrimp, you need to remember some rules:
- Be sure to defrost raw shrimp before cooking. If this condition is neglected, the product will not cook evenly. You can properly defrost crustaceans by transferring the bag with them from the freezer to the lower shelves of the refrigerator. Defrosting in a container filled with cold water is also allowed.
The chef of the restaurant “Old Attic” Mikhail Galeev points out: “They need to be defrosted gradually - correctly, first in the refrigerator, then at room temperature. This way we will preserve the maximum amount of useful substances.”
After defrosting, it is advisable to rinse the shrimp under running water to remove unnecessary scales and broken antennae.
- How long does it take to prepare seafood products? It is important not to cook shrimp for a long time. If this is done longer than the recommended time, the product will lose its softness, juiciness and beneficial properties. Boil small shrimp for a minute. Medium ones are cooked for 2-3 minutes. Larger species of shrimp should be cooked longer, about 6-7 minutes.
- After the cooking time has ended, the shrimp must be cooled immediately. You can drain the water and place the product on crushed ice. If ice is not on hand, you can rinse the shrimp with cold running water.
- To absorb excess liquid after cooking, the shrimp should be placed on paper towels and dried slightly.
- Shrimp should be placed in boiling water.
More detailed information about how long to cook each type of fresh frozen crustaceans and how to cook them deliciously at home can be found on the Internet on specialized culinary sites. These resources contain many recipes for every taste and useful tips in the form of photos, articles and notes.
Boiled shrimp can be eaten as an independent dish.
They can also be used as one of the ingredients in the preparation of a variety of cold appetizers, risottos, pizzas, first courses, and sauces.
Cooking shrimp using kitchen electronics
In a slow cooker
Shrimp meat can also be prepared using this indispensable gadget in the kitchen. The process is not difficult and will not take much time.
For this dish you will need:
- unpeeled shrimp 500 - 600 grams;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- salt pepper;
- greenery.
Finely chop the garlic and herbs (dill, parsley, onion) with a knife. Pour 1.5 - 2 liters of water into the multicooker container. Pour chopped herbs, salt and spices into it. It would be nice to add a bay leaf and season with butter.
Next, set the “soup cooking” mode and wait until it boils. As soon as the liquid begins to bubble, add the shrimp. Cook the crustaceans for 3 - 5 minutes without closing the lid.
Turn off the heat in the multicooker, drain the water and place the shrimp on a plate. Spaghetti or rice are perfect as a side dish.
In a steamer
Fans of proper nutrition will undoubtedly enjoy shrimp meat cooked in a double boiler. Steamed shrimp are very juicy and flavorful.
The dish will include:
- large unpeeled shrimp without heads – 12 – 14 pcs.;
- water – 1l.;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- quail egg – 1 pc.
Including for the sauce:
- mustard – 1 tsp;
- ground paprika – 0.5 tsp;
- olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
- a clove of garlic and a sprig of basil;
- lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l.
To begin, rinse the thawed shrimp and place them in a deep container. Next, start preparing the brine. To do this, dissolve salt in water and pour in crustaceans. Keep them in the solution for 20 - 25 minutes.
The next step is to place the seafood on the floors of the steamer, and pour the remaining brine into its cooking container. Cooking time should not exceed 10 minutes.
While the shrimp are cooking, make the sauce. Combine all the necessary ingredients in a deep bowl and mix (preferably using a blender). The output will be a mass similar to mayonnaise. A delicacy seasoned with such a sauce will certainly not leave even sophisticated gourmets indifferent.
On a note! For lovers of spicy food, the option of cooking shrimp in a steamer with ginger and wasabi is suitable.
In the microwave
A regular microwave is also suitable for cooking seafood. If everything is done correctly, the result will invariably please the cook and his household.
The crustaceans must be cooked unpeeled. The main condition, as in all the above methods, is strict adherence to the cooking time. Do not overcook - this is the main task in relation to shrimp.
Rinse thawed crustaceans (remove the head, but not the shell, if necessary). Place the product in a heat-resistant container with a lid. It is important that the lid has a hole for steam.
Next, place the container with shrimp in the microwave and set the device to maximum power. Cooking time will be 2 – 3 minutes. After which the crustaceans can be taken out, salted and seasoned with spices. Nothing complicated.
Questions and answers
Even experienced housewives are not always able to cook shrimp correctly, since cooking the delicacy has its own subtleties. It's not surprising that many people have questions about seafood.
Can I just pour boiling water over it?
Most of the products from the store are sold ready-made, this is determined by the color, the crustaceans are pink. In this case, no cooking is required; they are simply defrosted and then filled with boiling water for 5 minutes.
Additional salt is added, the dish is sprinkled with lemon juice and served.
How to clean boiled shrimp?
There is nothing complicated about cutting crustaceans; it is done quite quickly. You need to grab the body with your fingers and unscrew the head with your other hand. The legs simply pull out.
Then the shell is removed, it is simply peeled off on the sides. The intestine is removed with a fork, the instrument is inserted under the intestine and pulled forward. It is important to remove this part correctly; it should not be damaged, otherwise you will have to wash all the meat.
How much salt do you need for cooking?
Shrimp are boiled in a large amount of water, twice as much liquid is required. If you need to cook frozen seafood with shell, then use at least 1.5 tbsp. spoons for every liter of broth. If the crustaceans are peeled, then a little less, one will be enough.
How to choose the right seasonings?
Most lovers of this delicious dish prefer to eat crustaceans that are well seasoned with spices. The best combination, according to most gourmets, is provided by the following spices:
- ginger;
- sprigs of dill;
- carnation;
- laurel;
- allspice peas.
Garlic cloves and lemon juice add flavor and piquancy. Spices are always selected depending on your own preferences; there is no need to be afraid of experiments, this is the only way to find the best combination for yourself.
Video on how to fry frozen unpeeled shrimp in a frying pan
This video provides a very tasty and unusual recipe for cooking seafood. Olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese add a special flavor to the dish. Try it, you will definitely like it!
Ingredients:
- Tiger chrimp
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Greenery
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Lemon
Do you like shrimp or do you prefer more traditional food? Do you know how to cook them correctly? If you have your own secrets for cooking shrimp, I will be very glad if you share them in the comments. I will also be grateful if you share this article on social networks. See you again on the blog!
How to properly cook king prawns?
King prawns get their name from their large size.
Let's look at how many minutes they cook in the table below:
| View | Cooking time |
| Royal Unpeeled Frozen | 10 minutes |
| Royal unpeeled boiled-frozen | 5 minutes |
| Royal peeled | 3 minutes |
Try this simple recipe for fried seafood:
- Pour some oil into a frying pan and add frozen king prawns.
- Let's make the fire smaller.
- Cover with a lid.
- As soon as they are browned, turn them over.
- Add salt and spices to taste (cumin, turmeric, garlic, dill).
- Cover with a lid for about 1 minute and turn off.
Important ! Do not overcook the shrimp in the pan, otherwise they will be tough.
A simple and delicious recipe for tiger prawns cooked in a saucepan
Tiger shrimp are large in size and juicy. It is important to cook them correctly to preserve their bright and delicate taste. The finished product will be an excellent snack on your table, and it can also be used in preparing other dishes.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Servings – 2
Ingredients:
- Tiger shrimps – 500 gr.
- Salt – 1.5 tbsp.
- Parsley – 1 bunch.
Cooking process:
1. Wash tiger shrimps under water to remove too large pieces of ice.
2. Boil water in a saucepan and dissolve salt in it. We also put the washed shrimp here.
3. Supplement the contents with a bunch of fresh parsley.
4. Bring the product to a boil and boil until tender. For boiled frozen shrimp it will take 5 minutes, for fresh frozen shrimp – 7 minutes.
5. Once ready, the tiger shrimp will take on a bright color. Place them in a colander to drain all the water.
6. Serve the finished treat to the table with vegetables or other products.
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Shelf life of frozen shrimp
Today you can buy shrimp at any retail outlet. As a rule, most of the food on the shelves is frozen and there should be a minimal amount of frozen water on it. Untreated frozen food lasts from 3 to 5 months, no more.
Storage rules indicate that 90 days after industrial freezing, unpeeled shrimp loses its taste. Before purchasing, always check when it was processed and packaged!
After defrosting, you should not keep the product in the refrigerator for more than two days uncooked, it is perishable.
Peeled frozen shrimp cannot last as long in the freezer as unpeeled shrimp. Its shelf life is two times less.
Let's figure out how to cook shrimp according to all the rules and how long to cook them
- Raw frozen (fresh frozen) shrimp are easily recognized by their gray, sometimes grey-green color. Boiled-frozen ones are red-orange, this color indicates that they were subjected to heat treatment before industrial freezing.
Raw langoustines and Argentine shrimp have a red shell color, so be sure to check the manufacturer's information before cooking them.
- Fresh, high-quality shrimp have a whole shell and a uniformly colored body, without yellow spots and windy areas, the tail is bent inward.
- Shrimp boiled in the shell turns out juicier and richer. But the esophagus left in the body can ruin their taste. The shell is cut along the curved “back” with kitchen scissors, the esophagus is removed, and only then the cooking begins.
- To make the appetizer softer and juicier, it is better to defrost frozen seafood before boiling. If you immerse them in boiling water immediately after freezing, they will not cook evenly. In addition, a thawed product after cooking will be much easier and faster to clean.
- Add salt to the water during cooking to taste. Recommended proportion 1 tbsp. l. salt per 1 liter of liquid.
- You should not overexpose the shrimp in water so that they do not turn out rubbery. The maximum cooking time for large seafood is 10 minutes, medium – 6 minutes, small – 3 minutes.
- To avoid an unpleasant odor, add lemon and aromatic spices to the water during cooking - bay leaf, allspice and black pepper, garlic, herbs, cloves. Vegetables/roots would also be useful - carrots, celery, parsley or parsnip root.
Sauces for shrimp
Sauces are selected taking into account the cooking method. The ideal combination is considered to be:
- boiled seafood is seasoned with creamy garlic sauce, it has a mild taste and a special piquancy;
- when fried, served with sweet and sour dressing, it is prepared on the basis of tomato or soy sauce;
- when baking, it is better to use nut or cheese sauce;
- if the delicacy is cooked over coals, it is better to use lemon marinade.
The sauce is poured over seafood immediately before serving. You can also put gravy boats on the table, then everyone can choose the best one for themselves.
Do I need to defrost shrimp before cooking?
Shrimp is most often transported frozen. This is practically the only way to transport around the world. To freeze it, you must first bring it to readiness. Most of the product on store shelves is already prepared; it does not need to be defrosted; it has a characteristic pinkish color.
After they are taken out of the freezer, they are immediately sent into the boiling marinade. It is best to choose vacuum packaging with any type of shrimp, they are of higher quality.
What do we know about shrimp?
Shrimp is an aquatic crustacean of the higher crayfish class. 100 g of shrimp meat contains 24 g of protein and 1 g of fat, nutritional value is about 100 calories. Shrimp is believed to be good for a lot of things, from the heart to the brain, and is a fairly safe source of protein. If you peel shrimp yourself at the table, it’s difficult to eat a lot; this is also a useful quality compared to, for example, dumplings. The taste of shrimp is pleasant and memorable, you can’t confuse it. At the same time, shrimp easily absorb various spices, seasonings and sauces.
What to cook with
Traditional additives when cooking shrimp are bay leaf, black pepper and, of course, salt. But if you want a more interesting taste, there are other options:
- lemon sliced;
- fresh herbs - dill, parsley, cilantro;
- onions and garlic;
- beer and milk, which are mixed with water or used in pure form to cook shrimp;
- olive oil or butter if you prefer sautéed shrimp;
- ginger, nutmeg, curry, chili pepper, turmeric, saffron and other spices.
Sometimes shrimp are simmered in cream and flour or cheese to create a thick sauce.
Useful tips
When preparing shrimp dishes of any kind, you should follow a few simple tips:
- Once thawed, seafood cannot be frozen again. This causes them to lose their shape and all their nutrients disappear.
- Before cooking, crustaceans should be removed from the freezer in advance and allowed to thaw unaided at room temperature.
- During cooking, it is recommended to adhere to certain proportions. For 1 kilogram of shrimp you will need 2 liters of water.
- The appropriate amount of salt is approximately 40 grams per 1 liter of liquid.
- Do not use a container that is too small for cooking. The pan should be large enough for the shrimp to float freely in it while cooking.
- Crustaceans are very rich in protein, which is why they absolutely cannot be subjected to long-term heat treatment. Otherwise, the protein may simply curl up.
Despite the cost (for some types it is quite high), you need to purchase and cook shrimp as often as possible. Their meat contains protein, amino acids, vitamins and other useful microelements. It is difficult to underestimate the beneficial effects of this product on the human body. It cannot be denied that shrimp dishes have a truly amazing taste that everyone should definitely try.
Dish recipes
The boiled delicacy can be used as the main component of gourmet dishes that will decorate both a regular dinner with your loved ones and a festive feast.
With avocado
Ingredients:
- peeled shrimp – 30 g;
- avocado - one fruit;
- cherry tomatoes – five pieces;
- garlic - one clove;
- lettuce leaves – 20 g;
- any greens – 5 g;
- lemon juice - tablespoon;
- olive oil, pepper and salt to taste.
Technology
- Finely chop the greens, chop the garlic, and combine. Pour in a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice, add salt and pepper.
- Chop the avocado into cubes, divide the tomatoes into halves.
- Combine vegetables with shrimp and pour in previously prepared dressing.
For the salad, it is most convenient to cook frozen peeled shrimp.
With tomatoes
Ingredients:
- peeled shrimp – 100 g;
- cherry tomatoes – 300 g;
- olive oil – 25 ml;
- fresh basil – 20 g;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Technology
- Cut the tomatoes in half.
- Chop the basil into thin strips.
- Combine ingredients with shrimp.
- Stir in butter, salt and pepper.
With butter and lemon
Ingredients:
- shrimp – 600 g;
- juice of one lemon;
- vegetable oil (preferably olive) – to taste.
Technology
- Place the crustaceans in a deep salad bowl.
- Sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Fill with a small amount of oil.
Another popular beer snack. Fry the shrimp in butter until golden brown, boiling the crustaceans before frying. Serve with sauce: sour cream (three tablespoons), ketchup (tablespoon), olive oil and lemon juice (teaspoon each), pepper to taste.
And finally, a trick known only in narrow circles of true connoisseurs of exotic seafood. To preserve the delicate taste of shrimp, “experienced” people advise immediately after cooking to place the product on a dish with ice for instant cooling. Using the tips suggested above, you can cook frozen unpeeled shrimp, peeled or freshly frozen delicacy so tasty that there will be no end to those who want to try the dish.
Video on the topic How to cook shrimp
What are they selling us?
When wondering how long to cook shrimp, you should first think about choosing the right product. To do this, you need to tighten up the theory a little.
Varieties
Looking at the shrimp offered in stores, you will notice that they all differ in color, size and price. These factors are determined by the variety of crustaceans, the table below will help you get an idea of which.
Table - Varieties of shrimp
| View | Peculiarities | Main suppliers |
| Atlantic (cold water) | — Small size; - more affordable price | - Canada; — Baltic States; — Scandinavia |
| Warm water (royal and tiger) | — Large size; - high price; - bred artificially on special farms or in the natural environment | — China; — Thailand; — Indonesia; — Vietnam |
| Argentine | — Lives in the natural environment, is not artificially grown; - pronounced sweetish taste; - bright red shell; - low cost | - Spain; — Argentina |
| Azovskaya | - Very small size; - pronounced sweetish taste | Russia |
| Vannamei | — Produced artificially; - low cost; - looks larger than the Atlantic; - bright color | China |
In European countries, Atlantic shrimp is considered more tasty and healthier, as it grows in natural conditions. Previously, this product was more expensive, but now, due to changes in the economic situation, farmed crustaceans are more expensive. However, there is information that some Asian manufacturers use antibiotics and dyes to improve the presentation of the delicacy.
Size
The size of shrimp is called caliber. This unit measures the number of individuals per kilogram of weight. For peeled crustaceans without heads and shells, the size is indicated not per kilogram, but per foot (about 450 g). The table below gives an idea of the size of popular species.
Table - Shrimp size
| View | Caliber |
| Atlantic | — 50-70; — 70-90; — 90-120; — 120+ |
| Tiger | — 2-4; — 4-6; — 6-8; — 8-12; — 12-16; — 16-20; — 21-30; — 31-40 |
| Argentine | — 21-30; — 30-55 |
If instead of the size on the package there is a No name marking, this is a trifle, a remainder, a mismatch.
Selection rules
Just a couple of decades ago, shrimp were considered an exotic delicacy that was not easy to obtain. Now seafood can be bought at your nearest supermarket. However, among the widest assortment, there are low-quality goods. Four recommendations will help you make the right choice.
- Transparent packaging. You shouldn’t take a pig in a poke – give preference to products packaged in transparent packaging. It is better to buy the product in a sealed bag rather than in bulk.
- A layer of ice. After catching, the shrimp are immediately frozen. Therefore, a layer of ice on seafood, the so-called glaze, is normal. However, the thickness of the “growth” should not be more than 1 mm. If this layer is too thick, one suspects that the crustaceans were deliberately soaked in water to increase weight. In accordance with GOST, the ice content should not exceed 4%.
- Snow. If there is snow in the package, the product was defrosted and then frozen again - such “therapy” negatively affects the taste of crustaceans.
- Standing out "individuals". Among the general mass of uniformly colored shrimp, you can sometimes see crustaceans that differ in appearance. The table below will tell you why the shrimp looks different from its “neighbors” in the package, and whether such crustaceans can be eaten.
Table - What shrimp “talk” about
| Sign | What does this indicate? |
| Whitish or yellowish crustaceans | The product is stale |
| Brown | Pregnant individuals, their meat is very valuable |
| Straight rather than curled tail | — The shrimp died before it was frozen; — freezing technology was not followed |
| — Black spots on the body; - black head | Sick individual |
| Green head | The shrimp fed on plankton and is suitable as food |
| White spots | Violation of the freezing regime |
The uniform color of the crustaceans, shiny, smooth shell is evidence of the good quality of the product.
