Delicious seafood delicacies are always popular all over the world. Among them, a special place is occupied by shrimp.
Their delicate refined taste won the hearts of lovers of seafood. Once they were a real rarity, not everyone could afford to feast on succulent shrimp. Now in free access a huge variety of species of these crustaceans.
A huge amount of nutrients, with low calorie (90 kcal per 100 grams) and excellent taste - these are the secrets of the popularity of these marine crustaceans.
The price of shrimp per kilogram depends on their size, large - the most expensive. In a kilogram of them usually about 20 pieces, small crustaceans - about 100 pieces.
Packages with seafood delicacies are labeled, indicating the number of shrimp per kilogram. So, on the packaging of medium specimens indicated 90/120 (90-120 pieces in a kilogram), large - 70/90, very large - 50/70. On the smallest there is a marking 90+.
The main types of edible shrimp are considered classic, royal and tiger.
Subtleties of choice
These crustaceans usually fall on our shelves frozen. They can be frozen immediately after capture, or boil and freeze.
Choosing a delicacy, you should pay attention to the following points:
- The package must contain the full name of the manufacturer with addresses and phone numbers;
- Pay attention to the indication of the quantity of products per kilogram. If individuals without heads are sold in a package, the quantity is usually written not per kilogram, but per pound;
- It is better to buy shrimp in transparent packages or by weight, so that you can evaluate their quality;
- The old crustaceans have dried up shell, and the meat is yellowish, and there are black spots on the legs;
- Good shrimps have even color and tail is bent. If the tail is unbent, this indicates that the individual has died before freezing;
- If snow is palpable in the package, this means that the marine crustaceans have been subjected to repeated freezing. This should not be;
- Black heads testify about the disease, such immediately discarded. Crustaceans with green heads can be safely eaten, they ate special plankton.
So, the choice has been made, the ideal shrimps have been acquired - fresh frozen gray-brown color. Things are easy - to cook the delicacy correctly.
How and how much time to cook boiled shrimps, frozen, unpeeled in a saucepan
Since cooked-frozen, unrefined shrimps are more common in our stores, we will focus primarily on their preparation. They have a soft pink color. They need to be boiled in a saucepan in boiling water for 2-3 minutes before surfacing. For better taste, peppercorns and bay leaves are added to the water.
In addition to the classic methods of cooking shrimp, there are several non-standard, but popular recipes for their preparation.
For example, you can boil this delicacy in a spicy brine. To do this, add a couple of adzhika spoons, onions, bay leaf, red hammers and pepper to the boiling water. Brine to languish for 3 minutes, and then add the shrimp and boil it for 3-10 minutes depending on the size.
Very good is a dish with Provencal herbs.
Cooked and frozen unpeeled individuals are very tasty in the beer brine. We mix two liters of water with 0.5 beer, add bay leaf, pepper, after boiling add crustaceans and cook for a couple of minutes.
Seafood goes well with lemon juice. In the pot add three liters of water, the juice of half a lemon, bay leaf, salt, pepper. Boil the brine for a couple of minutes, remove from the heat and put the shrimp in it for 5 minutes.
How to Cook Frozen Unpeeled Shrimps
Unrefined frozen seafood is green. Before cooking, they are thawed and washed.
In the pot you need to pour cold water per 1 kg of shrimp - 2 liters of water. Add salt and spices to taste and bring to a boil. Pour into a pot of crustaceans. Frozen unpeeled shrimps boil longer than boiled frozen ones, about 10 minutes.
As a spice, you can add cloves, allspice, bay leaf. The readiness of such shrimp is determined by the color of the shell - when the shrimp are ready, the shell becomes transparent.
For cooking unpeeled frozen shrimp, you can make a delicious broth. To do this, add in a boiling water 4 - 5 pieces of cloves, the same amount of peppercorns, bay leaf, half a lemon, peeled garlic, a couple of spoons of tomato paste and salt. When the broth fully boils, add the delicacy and cook for 10 minutes. The dish turns out very fragrant, and the taste is delicate.
How to cook royal and tiger shrimps (frozen, unpeeled)
The royals are ordinary shrimps, only large sizes. Therefore, they are cooked in the same way, only the heat treatment time increases. Put spices, salt in cold water, bring to a boil and add shrimps. Crude frozen king crustaceans must be boiled for 10 minutes.
Very tasty if boiled king prawns in sauce. To do this, add about 20 grams of olive oil to the quenching container, spread onions in half rings, a couple of cloves of garlic, a glass of water and a pound of seafood. In this sauce they boil for 10 minutes. Shrimps prepared in this way are served with a side dish or as a separate dish.
Tiger individuals boil for 7–8 minutes, until the color of gray changes to orange. The classic recipe for frozen unpeeled tiger shrimp looks like this. It is necessary to pour water into the pan, bring to a boil, add salt.
For better taste add allspice, bay leaf and a little garlic. Shrimps are pre-thawed and washed with water, then put them in broth and cook for 7 minutes.
The meat of tiger prawns is very tender, therefore they are recommended to be thawed in a natural way. Soaking in hot water or the microwave does not resemble here.
Fans of original recipes can cook an unusual dish by boiling tiger prawns in wine. To do this, mix in equal proportions water and wine, bring the liquid to a boil, add salt and pepper, chopped finely onions and carrots.
After 8-10 minutes, take out the shrimp. In the broth add lemon juice, a little butter. After the liquid remains a bit, it is filled with cooked delicacies and left for half an hour.
Ways of cooking unrefined frozen shrimps in gadgets
You can cook delicacy crustaceans not only in a saucepan.
To boil unpeeled frozen shrimp, add water, salt, pepper, bay leaf, a couple of garlic cloves, and a spoonful of butter to the crock-pot. Cook on the "soup" mode for 5-6 minutes. After cooking, these seafood are recommended to sprinkle with lemon juice.
To prepare a delicacy in a double boiler, you need to fill its bowl with water to a special mark. Shrimps fall asleep with special seasonings for seafood and let it brew for a few minutes. Then distribute them at the bottom of the steamer bowl.
Top lay out sliced lemon, carrot, onion and celery. Cooking a dish for a couple of 15-20 minutes. You can make a very delicious sauce by mixing lemon juice with butter.
Quick and tasty dish - shrimp in the microwave. Thawed crustaceans spread in a container for the microwave, pour two tablespoons of soy sauce mixed with the same amount of water. Thoroughly mix the crustaceans and send them to the microwave for 3 minutes at maximum power. Then take out, mix again and set for another 3 minutes.
What problems may arise in the process of cooking and how to solve them
The main problem that can be encountered in the process of cooking marine crustaceans in any way is to turn them into tasteless rubber. Therefore, it is important to carefully monitor the cooking time. This is the case when it is better to undercook than to digest.
It is important to remember that the smaller the seafood in size, the less time it is boiled.
Also very often when cooking, food lovers face the problem of how much salt to put. Here it is necessary to take into account the form in which the delicacy is cooked. For untreated sea crustaceans, salt is needed twice as much as for treated ones. Therefore, raw shrimp can not be afraid to oversalt.
How and with what to serve boiled shrimps
Like other seafood, shrimp go well with vegetables and rice. Shrimp pasta is popular in many European countries. You can serve them not only with wheat noodles, but also with rice or buckwheat.
These seafood is an indispensable ingredient in some salads. Salads "Caesar with shrimps" and "Salad with seafood" are very popular in restaurants.
The classic combination is shrimp with beer. If they are offered as a separate dish, be sure to sprinkle with lemon juice and serve them with various sauces.
Gently pink shrimps surrounded by greenery and lemon slices will be the perfect table decoration for any occasion. Even if the usual viewing of football with beer is planned, a beautiful dish with shrimps will give the event a special atmosphere.
Useful tips
- Thawed shrimp can not be re-frozen, they lose their taste, shape and nutritional properties;
- Defrost these seafood better at room temperature, beforehand getting out of the refrigerator;
- When cooking, it is recommended to keep the proportions per 1 kg of shrimp with 2 liters of water;
- The optimal amount of salt for cooking - 40 grams per 1 liter of water;
- For cooking, you need to pick up a pot so that seafood can freely float in the tank;
- Shrimp meat is pure protein, so if you overdo it on fire, it can curl up.
Enjoy your meal!
The following video details how to cook shrimp.
