At first glance, there is nothing complicated about how to properly boil shrimp. You just need to read the instructions on the package and follow them clearly. Practice shows that this may not be enough to obtain the desired result. When the product is boiled on a salad, it needs one approach. Shrimp serving as an independent dish require special handling. Given the fact that in our region it is most often necessary to prepare frozen ingredients, this point should also be taken into account when choosing a recipe.
First of all, you need to learn how to choose the right semi-finished product. It doesn’t matter if it goes to a salad or acts as an appetizer for beer, you should follow these rules:
According to experienced chefs, it is best to purchase salad blanks that have not undergone any heat treatment. A boiled-frozen product sometimes contains salt or some additional ingredients in its composition, due to which the taste of the finished dish may change.
Disputes on this topic have not subsided for many years and there is still no consensus. Both options have the right to exist, and each culinary specialist must decide for himself what to do. First of all, you need to carefully read the instructions for the recipe you like. The procedure for processing frozen and thawed products may differ markedly, therefore, the results in both cases will have their own specifics.
Tip: Despite the fact that today a wide variety of kitchen gadgets have become available to cooks, it is better to boil shrimp in the traditional way, in a saucepan. Steamers, multicookers and microwave ovens are so capricious in terms of modes and timers that they can ruin a quality product.
Shrimps that will be put into the salad do not need complex processing, so it is better to boil them frozen. But if you want to cook some unusual dish from a semi-finished product, you will have to spend a few minutes pre-preparing the component. This can be done in one of the following ways:
There are many options for preparing frozen shrimp. If you wish, you can come up with your own recipes, you just need to follow the basic rules of the process.
Shrimp, from which it is planned to prepare a salad, should be fresh and tasteless. To prepare them, it is enough to take boiling water and a colander. We place the product in a colander, filling no more than half. Pour boiling water over them, getting rid of the ice crust. When the water drains, we shift the blanks into a saucepan and pour fresh boiling water. We wait no more than 30 seconds and drain the liquid. Products remain to be cleaned and can be sent to the salad.
If you want something special, you should try these approaches:
Of course, products prepared in this way can also be sent to a salad. But in this case, their taste characteristics should be taken into account so that the taste of the final dish does not turn out to be too rich.
The main advantage of thawed shrimp is that they can be peeled. After that, the product is washed in cold water and processed. It is noteworthy that with such approaches, the broth is an important part of the dish. It does not need to be poured, the product is fed directly into it.
And shrimp are boiled in salt water, milk, white wine. If desired, any of the recipes can be adapted, taking into account the type and quality of the semi-finished product. Usually such experiments end with the creation of culinary masterpieces.
Shrimps are no longer a rare delicacy in Russian cuisine. A large amount of iodine and potassium is concentrated in protein seafood. People whose diet constantly includes these gifts of the sea, for a long time retain their sound mind, youth and beauty. However, shrimp are usually sold frozen. It is important to cook them correctly, otherwise you can destroy valuable substances and spoil the taste of the products.
Frozen shrimp: how to cook?
Photo Shutterstock
Before exposing seafood to cold, manufacturers may pre-cook it. Be sure to read the information on the shrimp packaging. If they have already undergone heat treatment, in no case should the meat be digested - it will become tough, like rubber, lose its juiciness and valuable nutritional qualities. Shrimps are a protein product, so they harden very quickly when cooked.
Place the seafood in a bowl, cover with paper towels and leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours. If you want to prepare an appetizer or salad ingredient as quickly as possible, then you can dip the shrimp in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and leave to thaw further in a colander. Before use, it is recommended to flavor the dish with freshly squeezed lemon juice, garnish with slices of citrus and dill.
Fans of piquant taste and rich aroma of food are invited to cook shrimp with lemon, spices and spices (thermal exposure time - no more than 3-5 minutes). Rinse the citrus and cut into slices. Boiled-frozen shrimp usually arrive at the store already salted, so add table salt to taste and very carefully.
A set of additives for boiling seafood can be as follows:
Seafood that goes on sale without pre-boiling ice cream, when properly prepared, simply melts into the root. Before cooking, the shrimp must be thoroughly washed on a sieve, then pour salted water (3 parts per 1 part of frozen raw materials) in a saucepan and put on fire. When the contents of the bowl boil, add your favorite spices and a quarter of a lemon. The total cooking time is from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the carcasses.
High-quality frozen shrimp are distinguished by a shiny shell, even coloring and a curved tail. Carcasses of females full of caviar have a particularly high nutritional value.
How to cook frozen unpeeled shrimp is now worrying more and more people. These cute and tasty crustaceans gradually turn from a delicacy into a familiar dish or are increasingly used as an ingredient for various dishes, especially in salads.
But the army of fans would be even larger if people knew how to cook them properly and, in particular, defrost them for subsequent cooking. This is very important, because if you make a mistake at some stage, then the shrimp will not only look unpleasant, but will simply become inedible.
A lot has already been said about the benefits of shrimp; they contain rare elements that the body needs, but there is only in this product. Taste qualities largely depend on how correctly you prepare them for cooking and, first of all, how you defrost them. If you do something wrong, then the meat will lose all its taste and become tough like rubber, i.e. the product will be permanently damaged.
Shrimps, frozen unpeeled, are mainly on sale, and therefore every cook needs to know how to prepare them so that the dish learns exactly the way it was intended.
Today on store shelves you can find shrimp in the following form:
It is the boiled-frozen shrimp that are in the greatest demand and the task of the cook is to cook them so that they not only do not lose their useful properties, but are also fragrant, tasty and soft. Many people buy and cook shrimp, but, unfortunately, not everyone knows how to properly cook shrimp so that they do not lose their nutritional qualities.
Let's start with defrosting. If you are not in a hurry, then we recommend the best and yet the easiest way to defrost shrimp, the only drawback of which is that it is the longest.
To do this, simply take out the required amount of shrimp from the freezer, put it in a colander, under which we must put a saucepan. Then we send it to the usual compartment of the refrigerator. With this method, the shrimp will melt slowly, and the water will drain into the pan. This will take approximately 9-10 hours, i.e. if you put them in the evening by morning they will defrost. This is the best way to preserve all the taste and aroma of shrimp meat.
If you need to defrost shrimp quickly, then we offer the following method. To do this, place the shrimp in a plastic bag and put it in a saucepan, after filling it with warm water. A similar defrosting method will preserve their taste and aroma, but still not as good as the first.
Well, if you need to defrost the shrimp immediately, then dip them in boiling water and boil for 15-20 seconds. Then turn off the gas and leave the shrimp for twenty minutes in this water.
The next way to defrost is to fry the shrimp for five minutes in sunflower oil in a heated frying pan. This is a quick defrosting method with a drawback, which can be considered a change in both the taste and aroma of the product.
Some cooks, wanting to defrost shrimp as quickly as possible, use a microwave oven. But you don't have to. It is noticed that with this method, shrimp become not only less nutritious, but also tasteless.
In addition to this, it should be noted that it is no longer possible to freeze defrosted shrimp again! Especially if it's big shrimp.
Before you start cooking shrimp, you need to decide what kind of shrimp you have. they can be fresh frozen or frozen. Freshly frozen ones were frozen alive, and boiled-frozen ones were slightly cooked. They differ in color. The first is grey, the second is pink.
Also, shrimp can be peeled and unpeeled.
This video shows how to properly defrost shrimp so that they can then be easily peeled and cooked deliciously.
When answering the question of how much to boil frozen shrimp in time, then if you do not take into account the time spent on defrosting, you need to adhere to the following data: you need to cook peeled and about five minutes unpeeled for about three minutes.
This is the easiest way. For this we need:
It may seem to many that there is too much salt, but the fact is that shrimp meat is very poorly salted. Also, if you wish, you can take - black peppercorns, lavrushka and other seasonings that you like.
We put salt and seasonings in the water and boil for several minutes so that the water absorbs the aroma and taste of these ingredients. Next, lower the defrosted shrimp into the water and cook for about four minutes.
First of all, you need to take about 20 milliliters of olive oil and pour it into a saucepan. Next, cut in half a small onion, which we also lay in a pan. Add a couple of garlic cloves cut in half. In this recipe, we need frozen peeled shrimp, about half a kilogram, which we also send to our cooking container. Fill all the ingredients with water. We need a little of it, about 100 grams.
We put the saucepan on the gas and bring to a boil. Cook for about four minutes.
Shrimps cooked in this way are distinguished not only by softness, but also by a special bright and rich, slightly tart taste.
If you have frozen unpeeled shrimp, then for cooking, so the recipe you will have to clean them in advance immediately after defrosting.
The most delicious and original recipe for boiling shrimp for beer involves the use of some of the following ingredients that are unusual in cooking shrimp: tomato paste and cloves. The preparation is very simple.
We need a five-liter pan, into which we need to pour water into approximately 2/3 of the total volume. Put the saucepan on the fire and bring the water to a boil.
We put fifteen cloves, eight peas of pepper, half a lemon (cut into several pieces), six bay leaves, three or four peas of black pepper, a head of garlic (the cloves must be cut into several pieces), eight tablespoons of tomato paste, salt (25 grams per 1 l).
We send the shrimp to boiling water and cook them for about four minutes, if you have boiled-frozen ones, if fresh-frozen ones are a little more than ten minutes.
With a slotted spoon we take out ready-boiled shrimp and put them on a dish.
Don't forget that all our recipes are based on pre-thawed shrimp!
If you cook shrimp at home, guided by the recipes we offer and do not want to fiddle with them for a long time, then you can resort to "recipes for lazy people", which involve the use of various kitchen appliances.
Seafood cooked in a slow cooker, double boiler or in a microwave oven sometimes turns out to be much tastier than those cooked just in a regular saucepan. This has been tested repeatedly in practice, the main thing is to follow the recipes exactly.
Ingredients:
Cooking
Pour about half the volume of water into the double boiler, put shrimp, seeds into it, squeeze the juice from the lemon, put the oil. If you do not know how much to steam shrimp, then we answer a little more than usual about fifteen minutes!
In an ordinary home microwave, shrimp can be cooked not only quickly, but also very easily. First, wash our curls and wring out. To make it tastier, you will need a special bag for baking (it is often called a sleeve). We put shrimp in it, do not try to stuff it to the top. Next, put it in the microwave and pierce the bag a couple of times with a fork. We do this carefully so as not to tear the package.
We set the power to about 85 percent and cook for twelve minutes.
Drizzle with lemon juice, decorate with herbs and serve!
This method will appeal to those who do not like to mess around at the stove for a long time!
This recipe is getting more and more popular. Probably because multicookers are becoming common appliances in our kitchens. There are many recipes for cooking shrimp in a slow cooker, and there will probably be even more, but we offer you the simplest one.
Ingredients:
We put the crustaceans in a slow cooker and fill it with water so that its level is slightly higher than the shrimp.
We set the "extinguishing" mode or similar to it. Cooking time 20 min.
That's all, after the signal sounds, our shrimp are ready to eat.
We hope you have already figured out how much to cook frozen shrimp in a slow cooker, saucepan, microwave and double boiler.
In no case should you cook the shrimp for too long. Otherwise, they will lose all their taste and become tough. If the shrimp are cooked correctly, they will be soft and fragrant.
If you have difficulty determining whether shrimp is ready, then there are a few simple signs. The first is that the color of the shell will change, which will become a little more transparent, and the second is that the shrimp should emerge.
In no case do not throw shrimp into the water without first defrosting, you risk completely ruining the product.
This video shows how to cook frozen shrimp in a slow cooker. Cooking delicious soup.
Many tribes living far from civilization on the coast of the seas and oceans eat shrimp and other seafood raw, while living up to 80 years. Of course, it is difficult to imagine that we eat raw marine life, but the undoubted benefits of these seafood are beyond doubt. On the shelves of our stores, frozen products are most often offered. How to cook it in order to preserve the nutritional and nutritional value is worth telling in this article.
Shrimps are a favorite seafood for many people. These nutritious crustaceans are not only delicious, they are also extremely beneficial to the body - and this is not surprising, because they contain a lot of iodine, calcium, protein, and healthy omega fats. At the same time, the product belongs to the category of low-calorie, therefore it is often included in the diet.
It should be noted that shrimp protein is digested a little more difficult and slower than fish protein, but it perfectly satisfies hunger and provides a feeling of satiety for a long time. More than 2,000 species of shrimp are known to science, but we, as ordinary consumers, should only know the basics: there are warm-blooded and cold-blooded shrimp. The former are mined in warm seas, the latter, respectively, in cold ones.
Warm-blooded seafood comes to the shelves of our stores from Vietnam and South Asia, as well as from China, Thailand and Malaysia. Relatively recently, the farms of Ecuador, as well as Brazil and Nicaragua, began to import their shrimp to Russia. These include royal and brindle varieties, which reach a length of 20 and even 35 cm. But cold-blooded products are brought from the Baltic states, as well as from Denmark and Norway. Some of the imports are also Canadian seafood.
Cold-blooded shrimp are smaller than warm-blooded shrimp and much cheaper, but studies show that they contain many more trace elements and, accordingly, are more beneficial for the human body.
As a rule, buyers in stores sometimes do not pay attention to the importing country and in vain. Everyone knows that in European countries products undergo much stricter quality control, but this cannot be said about Asian producers, therefore there are quite a few complaints about their seafood.
Keep in mind that fresh shrimp cannot be stored for a long time, so if you are purchasing a refrigerated product, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date.
However, frozen seafood is sold much more often in our country. Usually they are either immediately placed in the freezer after catching, or pre-boiled, and then frozen.
In addition, shrimp can be sold both peeled and in shells. Many people think that it is better to buy peeled ones, which significantly saves both time and money, because for every kilogram of peeled seafood there are about 3 kg of unpeeled ones. However, experienced chefs say that the taste of unpeeled shrimp is much richer and brighter. Quality experts give the following recommendations on what to pay special attention to when purchasing seafood:
Important! It is best to purchase grayish-brown shrimp - these are products that have been frozen still fresh, vitamins and minerals are fully preserved in them.
How to choose the best quality and healthy shrimp is described in the following video.
To make shrimp as tasty and healthy as possible, they must first be properly defrosted. However, this is the main difficulty - for the delicate structure of the meat of these marine life, all traditional defrosting options at home are unsuitable - in the microwave and at room temperature.
Experienced chefs advise defrosting seafood in advance. It is best to remove them from the freezer a few hours before cooking and leave them in a cool place, for example, on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
If time is running out, and the defrosting process needs to be accelerated as much as possible, then you need to prepare a large container, pour cold water into it and place the unopened bag so that the water covers it completely. As a rule, after an hour, the shrimp can be ready for processing.
Boiled-frozen shrimp are defrosted in a similar way, only the technology for their preparation will be slightly different - these are already boiled products, so before serving, it will only be enough to heat them in boiling water for several minutes. Quite often, large stores sell shrimp meat. It defrosts much faster, since the product itself has a more delicate structure, in addition, it does not have heads and shells.
Features of boiling shrimp at home depend on their variety and form of sale. So, if you purchased frozen foods that were not previously boiled, they should be placed in boiling, slightly salted water in advance and kept for about 5–10 minutes. after re-boiling. At the same time, the time directly depends on the dimensions of the products. Cooked shrimp turn pink-orange and float to the top. Do not overcook them, in which case they will become tough and inedible. But you can and even need to leave it in a hot broth for 10-15 minutes- so the meat will become more juicy, and the taste is rich.
If the shrimp are frozen boiled, then after defrosting they are simply kept in boiling water for about 1-3 minutes, since they are already ready. Some housewives simply put them in a sieve or colander and pour boiling water over them, while others put them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
However, consumers cannot always be completely sure about the quality of seafood, so they are boiled for about 2-3 minutes to minimize the risk of intestinal infections.
Already peeled shrimp are often called cocktail shrimp, they are usually completely ready to eat, so experienced chefs do not recommend boiling them, arguing that the effect will be the same as when boiling crab sticks. It is enough to wash such products with boiled water or dip them in hot water for 5-10 seconds.
There are many ways to cook delicious shrimp. For example, they can be lightly fried in olive or sunflower oil with chopped garlic for about 3 minutes. Seafood baked on charcoal and grill is quite tasty.
Many people boil shrimp not in a saucepan, but in a slow cooker.
The dish prepared in this way turns out to be juicy, the meat does not boil, while all the nutrients are preserved in full.
Microwave owners can cook shrimp in this kitchen gadget.
Step-by-step instruction.
Shrimps with vegetables in a double boiler are very tasty.
The preparation is quite simple:
This dish goes well with a sauce of melted butter and lime juice.
If you are planning a get-together with friends, then fried shrimp can be a good snack.
Preparing them is quite simple:
Shrimps in a lemon-butter sauce are truly delicious.
To prepare this dish, you should:
Shrimp cooked in a cheese crust can become a real decoration of the table.
Try to keep the shrimp evenly distributed in the sauce.
Such seafood shrimp can be made for a special occasion, they are usually served with fondue cheese and cranberry sauce.
Experts give three main rules for cooking shrimp.
You can see how to cook delicious shrimp in garlic sauce in the next video.
Naturally, with all the variety of choices, you want to be sure of the quality of the product, because such arthropods go to salads, soups, creams. The main problem in cooking is how to cook frozen shrimp so that they do not remain raw or become rubbery.
Before you start buying a delicacy, you should get to know it better. Focusing on the inscriptions on the packages and special markings, it will be easier to make the right choice to buy the right product.
The whole variety of these crustaceans, and there are more than 2000 of them, is divided into 2 types - warm-water and cold-water. Their main differences from each other are the location of the catch and the size. Warm-water individuals caught in Asia or Latin America reach impressive sizes of 20 cm and 30 cm. These include species such as tiger and king prawns. Cold-water individuals caught in Canada, Norway, the Baltic states, Greenland are of significantly modest size and 70-90 pieces per kilogram is their normal amount.
Double marking on packages - 50/70, 70/90 or 90/120 means the number of pieces per 1 kg. When buying a frozen product, sizes 90/120 are considered optimal, because. others will have more ice. In the future, how many minutes to cook the shrimp will depend on their purchased size.
Shrimps are sold fresh, chilled or canned. But more often they can be found frozen in 3 types: uncut, without a head, but with a shell and completely peeled. Such a product can be fresh-frozen or boiled-frozen. Naturally, fresh-frozen is the most useful, because. when quickly frozen, it retains most of the nutrients.
Properly frozen boiled shrimp, when it is boiled alive in sea water, and after that it is immediately frozen.
When buying, you can determine a fresh frozen product from a boiled one by the tail. A raw clam has a straight tail, while a boiled clam has a tail twisted under its belly. It should be noted that only boiled-frozen options are supplied to our country. But if the tail of such a shrimp is straight, this is a clear indicator that the shrimp was cooked dead. Special attention should be paid to this.
To cook delicious frozen shrimp, you need to consider a few points when buying them:
All arthropods differ in taste. Cold-water molluscs, although they are small in size, are juicier and sweeter than their warm-water relatives. Their meat is perfect for salads or canapés. Large warm-water shrimp have a strong specific flavor and are usually used for spicy and rich dishes. Considering all the features of the purchased product, you need to properly cook shrimp in order to get the maximum taste and benefit from them.
The first step in preparing any frozen food is defrosting. Any shrimp recipe begins with defrosting - this is an important point in the overall preparation, the taste of the dish will depend on the correctness of which.
Shrimp is a perishable product, so perfect defrosting will help it cook evenly. Use these 2 defrosting methods to prevent product contamination and contamination with harmful germs.
Remove frozen crustaceans from the original packaging. Spread them out evenly in a deep bowl. Cover it with a lid and send it to the refrigerator. Natural thawing will last all night.
Fold frozen shrimp in a dense film that will not let water through. Fill the sink with cold water and place the bag in it. The duration of the procedure will be 1-1.5 hours.
Important: you can not defrost clams in the microwave or at room temperature, this only spoils them.
If mollusks are sold in shell and with a head, then you should not immediately abandon them, even for the sake of economy. Of course, in the end, the husks will have to be thrown away, but before that they can do a good job.
Whole boiled shrimp have a stronger flavor and aroma. And to make it easier to clean, rinse them with cold water immediately after cooking.
If only shrimp meat is to be cooked, then it is best to clean the clams in a slightly frozen state. In the solid state, the head separates well, and the shell is easily removed.
When cooking shrimp, always be aware of the amount of salt. For mollusks in shells, a 4% saline solution is prepared, and for peeled mollusks - 2%. Those. For 1 liter of water, either 40 grams of salt or 20 grams are taken.
With any cooking option, it is better to leave the tails of large mollusks. They serve as an additional decor to the dish and are very convenient when eating.
It is better not to throw away the heads, husks, shrimp trifles right away, but to prepare a rich broth from it. It is stored for a long time in the cold and can be used for various sauces, dressings, gravies. To do this, fry the shrimp leftovers over high heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Pour in some water, boil the broth for 15-17 minutes. After - strain the broth and store in a tightly closed container.
Boiling is the most commonly used cooking method for frozen food. How much to cook frozen shrimp so that they do not lose their taste depends on their size. Of course, a small species cooks faster than a large one.
Cold water small clams cook in 3 to 4 minutes. Their larger relatives - 5-7 minutes, and warm-water gourmet - even longer. The main indicator of the readiness of a dish from any will be the pinkish color of the shell. And how much to cook king prawns or other giant species if they are in a shell and the shell is not visible? The average time for their preparation will be 7-8 minutes.
There are different ways to cook shrimp. But boiling is the easiest and most acceptable option for everyone.
Additional components that give the finished dish a new flavor can be lemon, dill inflorescences, bay leaf, cloves. If desired, these additives must be put in boiling water before laying the shrimp.
Boiled frozen shrimp are often sold peeled as boiled meat. So that they do not lose their taste and useful properties during home cooking, it is better to use the following method.
Along with the traditional method of boiling on the stove, arthropods can be cooked in a slow cooker, pressure cooker, double boiler. The process itself will not take much time, and the meat will turn out very juicy and tender.
Crustaceans prepared in this way retain their natural juice. It is recommended to marinate the shrimp beforehand to enrich their taste. For the marinade, you can use a mixture of lemon juice, crushed anise stars, a pinch of sesame seeds, 2 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce, 50 g of melted butter.
Marinate thawed shrimp in the prepared mixture. After boiling water, put crustaceans in a double boiler and cook until tender.
There are no special requirements for cooking clams in a slow cooker. The difference in the taste of ready-made dishes will be only due to the mode selected for the multicooker.
Probably the easiest way is to boil peeled shrimp. To do this, just put them in a bowl, setting the “seafood frying” mode. After 1 minute you can enjoy the dish.
Frozen seafood, like a fresh product, is boiled, fried, steamed, grilled, baked. The processing method is chosen according to personal taste preferences.
To emphasize the taste of the dish, when cooking shrimp, you need to consider:
You can not only boil, but also fry frozen shrimp. A particularly popular method for large species is grilling.
Required Ingredients:
How to cook:
Defrost freshly frozen delicacies in any way. Remove the shell from them, leaving only the tail. With a sharp knife, make an incision along the back, peel the pulp from the veins.
Soak wooden skewers in water for 20-30 minutes. Then string prepared shrimp on them.
Put the skewers on a well-heated grill, leaving small distances between the skewers.
Grease the skewers with olive oil, season with salt and spices. Fry for 1.5-2 minutes, then flip the skewers to the other side. The total frying time of the product is up to 4 minutes or until the meat turns pink.
If a salad or soup is not expected, then the clams can be boiled with a variety of aromatic spices. You can cook shrimp at home in different ways, the essence of which differs only in additives.
Required Ingredients:
Additive #1
Additive #2
How to cook:
Defrost crustaceans first.
Boil 3 liters of water in a large saucepan. Dissolve salt in it.
Put the selected set of spices into boiling water. Pour the shrimp into the pan and boil until tender. Drain them in a colander to drain and cool slightly before serving.
Shrimp with beer is not always healthy, but very tasty. And in order to enjoy this combination of products, you need to cook shrimp for beer with the right ingredients.
Required Ingredients:
How to cook:
Defrost frozen food properly. Peel the garlic and cut the cloves into small cubes.
Boil the shrimp in salted water with the addition of dill until tender. Put them in a colander to drain.
In a deep frying pan or cauldron, fry chopped garlic in oil, seasoning it with red pepper. Add the drained clams to the spices, pour in the soy sauce. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes, and stir constantly during the frying process.
