Lee, my husband’s best friend from college, stood over my shoulder and announced, “Don’t overcook the shrimp or they’ll be rubbery. You don’t want rubbery shrimp, do you?” Lee’s father owned a seafood packing plant on the coast of Georgia, where occasionally he and Jeff worked during school breaks (for beer money, I’m guessing). It turned out to be the best advice I ever received about cooking shrimp, although it certainly didn’t feel like it at the time.
It is just too easy to overcook shrimp because it seems like it should take longer than a few minutes. But it doesn’t, no matter how you cook it: poaching, sautéing, or grilling. Here are a few tips I’ve learned over the years about shrimp cookery.
- Shrimp sizing is confusing because there are no standards in labeling, so look for a count. David Joachim’s book, Brilliant Food Tips gives these guidelines: Small (40-50 count per pound; Medium (31-40 count); Large (26-30 count); Extra large (21-25 count); Jumbo (16-20 count). U-15 is a common jumbo shrimp label and means there are 15 shrimp in a pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. Most shrimp is frozen as soon as it is caught, and it takes very little time to thaw. Costco has incredibly great frozen shrimp, with the shell on, but split for easy peeling.
- Cooking shrimp with the shell on will help keep the shrimp moist and juicy, even if it is a pain to have to shell it before serving. David Joachim says that while the flavor is best when cooked with the shell, the difference is too negligible to notice, so go ahead and peel before cooking. I say it depends upon how you’re cooking the shrimp. I tend to leave it on and go though the pain of peeling after cooking.
- Marinate shrimp for 30 minutes or less, unless you want ceviche. The acid (either citrus juice or vinegar) in marinades begins to “cook” the shrimp immediately.
- Boiling shrimp actually makes it tougher. Instead, poach it (it’s the same thing, only the water temperature is lower than 212 degree boiling temperature.) Poaching temperature is about 170 degrees and is much gentler on the shrimp. Steam rises off the surface, but you won’t see any simmering bubbles.
- Shrimp is done when the flesh turns from translucent to opaque, and not a second later. Depending upon the size of the shrimp, it could take 30 seconds, a minute, 2 minutes, or up to 3-1/2 to 4 minutes for those jumbo U-15 shrimp.
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