Raw shrimp to shrimp cocktail

Kritchlow

Kritchlow

Final Approach
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Kritchlow
Okay, i lovee my shrimp cocktail... sauce and horse radish for another thread, but...
I love my shrimp well done “snappy”, white and fluffy.

I have always bought it pre cooked, but it’s usually a bit too underdone for me. It’s a bit translucent and not snappy enough.

This time I bought it raw to try and cook it the way I want. It’s shelled and deveined. It’s frozen. They are Jumbo shrimps.

How long to boil to get them well done and snappy without making thrm tough?
This assumes I thaw them in cool water before cooking.
 
For me -- I broil them.

Thaw in a bowl of cold water, it doesn't take too long.

Peel, devein, toss with a little bit of olive oil and a lot of Old Bay seasoning. Put on a foil lined pan under the broiler for about 3 min on one side, 2 on the other. Let them cool on a plate in the fridge.

They cook so quickly, you can try a few at a time until you get the timing that you like.

edit : I see yours are already peeled and deveined. That will save time.
 
Matthew said:
For me -- I broil them.

Thaw in a bowl of cold water, it doesn't take too long.

Peel, devein, toss with a little bit of olive oil and a lot of Old Bay seasoning. Put on a foil lined pan under the broiler for about 3 min on one side, 2 on the other. Let them cool on a plate in the fridge.

They cook so quickly, you can try a few at a time until you get the timing that you like.

edit : I see yours are already peeled and deveined. That will save time.
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I have broiled them before.. wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese.... completely yummy.
but is broiled shrimp, “shrimp coctail”?
 
I always get the water to a rolling boil. Dump the shrimp in and when it almost starts to boil again, pull it off stove and dump the shrimp in a colander, drain, then put in to the fridge until cold.
 
azblackbird said:
I always get the water to a rolling boil. Dump the shrimp in and when it almost starts to boil again, pull it off stove and dump the shrimp in a colander, drain, then put in to the fridge until cold.
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How does it come out? I don’t like it translucent. I like it well done, white, snappy.
Should I go longer???
 
Kritchlow said:
How does it come out? I don’t like it translucent. I like it well done, white, snappy.
Should I go longer???
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Shrimp cook very fast. Mine always came out perfect using the method I just stated. You don't want them overdone.
 
Kritchlow said:
How does it come out? I don’t like it translucent. I like it well done, white, snappy.
Should I go longer???
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When the shrimp turn white, no longer translucent, they're done. Cooked too long they go from snappy to tough to eat.
 
azblackbird said:
Shrimp cook very fast. Mine always came out perfect using the method I just stated. You don't want them overdone.
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I agree about overdone. Tough shrimp suck. But I do like fluffy and white.
 
Thinking about the cheese & bacon idea now.
Crap. It’s Christmas Eve Eve,and I can’t figure out what to serve on Eve
 
murphey said:
When the shrimp turn white, no longer translucent, they're done. Cooked too long they go from snappy to tough to eat.
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Yup. I’m with you. It’s a fine line between done and overdone.

It’s more tense than a CAT IIIB
 
azblackbird said:
One more thing. Don't thaw them in cold water. Just throw them in the fridge and let them thaw out naturally.
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Yup... great advice but unfortunately time can get in the way. But I do ageee...
 
denverpilot said:
Elf appetizers with venison. :)
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Yowza!!!! Wish I liked venison. Just hate it in all honesty. Everyone told me “they are just cooking it wrong.”
Tried it in burgers, meatloaf, steak, sausage, you name it. They always said the last guy just cooked it wrong.
I cannot stand the smell of venison to this day.
 
Put them on the BBQ on a grill mat. You can actually get a char on them without overcooking them. In a pan, previously frozen shrimp will give off so much water that by the time the pan is dry enough to char - the shrimp is overcooked.

Then again - I put everything on the Weber... but it really works well for shrimp! I don’t have them any other way now.
 
Trow em in berling watah. When two or three of those lil suckers start to float, they’re done. Strain em and get em into ice or in the fridge/freezer right away, no delay, expedite. Don’t over cook shrimp, yuck.
 
You cook them until they are curled. When all of them are curled they're done and the translucence will be gone. After they're curled if you continue cooking much longer they will become tough.
 
Get mine from a local fish market,let them worry about the timing. Now shrimp scampi that’s another subject.
 
Cruel thread.
I love shrimp.

But the last time I had some, I blew up like a puffer fish; hospital visit.
 
This is a staple of our annual family reunion at Port Aransas. Whoever is in charge of the reunion each year gets up early Saturday morning to take the ferry over to Aransas Pass to buy 20# from some Vietnamese shrimpers. This year I drew the straw to cook. Get your water boiling, dump them in, stand by with tongs, and start plucking out one at a time till you see the fluffiness you're looking for.(Ours aren't peeled, so we look for them to start turning pink) Dump quickly to avoid overcooking. Put in serving pan and cover with commercial bag ice to chill.
 
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murphey said:
When the shrimp turn white, no longer translucent, they're done. Cooked too long they go from snappy to tough to eat.
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This. This is the fundamental rule in cooking shrimp.

And a POX on the people who think that "tail on" is a good idea. About the only time this makes sense is if you're presenting them as finger food with no other coating. Even then it's a dubious idea. I detest biting into shrimp in some prepared dish and finding the remnant of the tail shell.

Don't even get me started on the restaurant that served us pasta with blue crabs in the shell with marinara sauce.
 
Just microwave on high for ten minutes and they will be good to go.

(Okay I'm joking.) But I do actually like eating shrimp whole, including the heads and tails. And fresh is always better than frozen. There are a fair number of Asian markets which will stock live shrimp - those are the best to cook. Barbecue (grilling rather) isn't a bad way to go but it's tough to get it right.

Precooked shrimp? No thanks.
 
Van Johnston said:
This is a staple of our annual family reunion at Port Aransas. Whoever is in charge of the reunion each year gets up early Saturday morning to take the ferry over to Aransas Pass to buy 20# from some Vietnamese shrimpers. This year I drew the straw to cook. Get your water boiling, dump them in, stand by with tongs, and start plucking out one at a time till you see the fluffiness you're looking for.(Ours aren't peeled, so we look for them to start turning pink) Dump quickly to avoid overcooking. Put in serving pan and cover with commercial bag ice to chill.
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Now that is true if they aren't peeled they'll turn pink. And curl. If peeled they curl and turn more solid white/pink. My husband doesn't follow the curl rule but he doesn't mind them a bit underdone. I'm like the OP I can't stand for any translucence left.

Our neighbor owns a house in Aransas Pass. They were hit hard by Harvey.
 
All the shrimp recipes I have talk about Sheldon Devane.

Who is Sheldon Devane..????
 
Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... [pauses] That- that's about it.
 
Kritchlow said:
Bwahahaha!!!
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Very old joke -
flyingron said:
Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... [pauses] That- that's about it.
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Shrimp in marinara over pasta
Shrimp in lemon/garlic/olive oil over pasta
Keep the shells in the freezer as part of the base for a fish stock
 
Kritchlow said:
I have broiled them before.. wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese.... completely yummy.
but is broiled shrimp, “shrimp coctail”?
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Sure, as long as you dip them in cocktail sauce, and fix yourself a cocktail.

I've boiled shrimp in seasoned water with lemons, drained and cooled them. That also works.
 
Matthew said:
Sure, as long as you dip them in cocktail sauce, and fix yourself a cocktail.

I've boiled shrimp in seasoned water with lemons, drained and cooled them. That also works.
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Boil the shrimp after the 'taters are done in the seasoned, vegetable infested water. Don't fergit to grill the steaks at the appropriate time. Beer, not cocktails.
 
Never tried it, but someone told me "steamed over beer, with lots of rock salt and Old Bay."

For the "shrimp cocktail" I've always known, boiled seems the way to go.
 
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