Shrimp Recipes for the Everyday Menu

by Allan Stearman on February 12, 2010

If shrimp recipes are off your radar because they seem too complex, revamp your mindset. By learning the basics of preparation, you can add shrimp recipes to your weekly menu without flinching.

A shrimp scampi recipe can pop out of your microwave in little time, and a grilled shrimp recipe can bring you praise from an appreciative family. Grilled shrimp recipes can make way for a shrimp pasta recipe the following week, as you get comfortable with the primary ingredient in shrimp recipes, the shellfish know as shrimp.

To visualize what you want to serve, consider the large range of sizes of shrimp that are on the market, each suitable for specific recipes. Bay or popcorn shrimp are used for accents whereas the colossal tiger shrimp is the star of any plate. Shrimp cocktail usually features large shrimp and medium shrimp fit perfectly on top of a bed of pasta.

To ensure you have quality ingredients, learn how to shop for shrimp. Keep in mind that the larger the shrimp, the more you will pay per pound. Fresh shrimp should have semitransparent flesh, be moist, firm, and have no ammonia odor or black spots on the shell. The ration of fresh shrimp to prepared shrimp is 3 to 2, that is 1 pounds of shell on shrimp produces 1 pound of shelled shrimp.

If you are fortunate enough to be near water and the source of locally sold shrimp, the quality of your cooking is going to increase immensely. Today most of the shrimp on the market has been frozen. If your shrimp is frozen when purchased, be sure that it is solidly frozen and examine the pack for any signs of freezer burn, which negatively affects quality and flavor. Then leave the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight to thaw, or place under cold running water. If you are buying shrimp previously frozen but thawed, the flesh should remain firm and shiny.

To ready the shrimp for the recipe, you will need to peel and devein it, unless it is preprocessed and these steps have been completed for you. The flavor will suffer however if you do purchase deveined and shelled shrimp. To begin preparing the main ingredient of your shrimp recipes, get a sharp paring knife to begin peeling the shell.

A light incision down the back from the head end to the tail end allows the shell to be peeled away, revealing a black vein known as the sand vein. The tip of the knife can be used to remove the vein for discarding. Then immerse the shrimp in cold water, keeping all the shrimp at the same temperature as you proceed through your catch. It is simple to split the shrimp in half at this point by placing each face down on the cutting board and slicing through.

Shrimp recipes call for one of five general ways of preparing the shrimp. Boiling, broiling, sauting, steaming, or baking shrimp give results that are tantalizing, tasty, and full of texture. A large spectrum of flavors and visual appeal is available. The main rule to keep in mind for recipes using fresh shrimp, regardless of the method of preparation, is to never over cook the shrimp. Now go enjoy!

Cooking shrimp is easy and the dishes can be really delicious. Professional cook Allan Stearman will guide you through cooking your shrimp recipe to perfection. For more advice you should stop by delicious shrimp recipes dot com.

categories: seafood,Culinary Arts,Recipes,Food and Drink,food,cooking,Hobbies,Family,health




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