There are many ways to cook shrimp. You will see me say it over and over again but it's important to get the point across. The single biggest tip for cooking shrimp is "Do Not Over Cook It."
Whether you are charcoal grilling or gas grilling shrimp, broiling shrimp, pan frying it or deep frying shrimp, you do not want to cook it too long. Overcooking shrimp makes it tough and it loses flavor.
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So what are the 10 tips for cooking perfect shrimp? Here they are:
1. Do not over cook shrimp, I repeat Do Not Over Cook Shrimp!
2. If your recipe calls for thawed shrimp, thaw shrimp in the refrigerator (Allow it to thaw overnight.) or thaw under cold running water (this usually takes about 15 or less depending on how much you are thawing)
3. Never thaw at room temperature or under warm/hot water.
4. Never refreeze thawed shrimp
5. Use fresh shrimp within 24 hours after purchasing, the sooner the better. Shrimp is very perishable. Check with your seafood market to see if the shrimp is fresh or previously frozen. Most shrimp is previously frozen so you will not want to refreeze it. If you are wanting to freeze, just buy frozen shrimp to begin with (our recommendation anyway
6. For Broiling Shrimp, clean and devein shrimp first and then spread the shell open until it lies flat, rinse it under cold water. Season and prepare shrimp, then broil in oven for 4-5 minutes. It is a good idea to baste the shrimp during broiling period to help prevent burnt edges.
7. For Pan frying shrimp (sautéing), be sure to thaw the shrimp first. If you don't, it will tend to spatter too much. Then, Heat ¼ teaspoon olive oil in large skillet. Add shrimp and desired seasoning. (I recommend McCormick Bayou Cajun Seasoning. It's my favorite seasoning for shrimp) Cook 3 to 5 minutes; do not overcook. (Did I mention, do not overcook it :)
8. For Grilled Shrimp - You also want to start with raw shrimp because using pre-cooked shrimp and grilling it will cause dried out, chewy shrimp. This can be bad, very bad!
9. For grilling shrimp, my recommendation is to use large or extra large shrimp. The larger sized shrimp stay on the grill better. Also, If making shrimp kabobs they hold on the skewer better.
10. Have fun and be creative. Play with the recipe and make it your own.
One thing I have learned along the way is that you do not have to follow cooking recipes 100% to get great results. (Baking may be another story) But for most of the recipes you can play around and give them your own twist, if you dare!
Ten Tips For Cooking Perfect Shrimp
This article is brought to you by Beth Brawn, creator of http://www.free-shrimp-recipes.com You can visit her website for many Free Shrimp Recipes along with many other Shrimp Cooking Tips and Cooking Videos. Copyright- You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain in place.