If you’ve never cooked shrimp before, then you might not know what you’re doing.
If you’ve never cooked shrimp before, then you might not know what you’re doing. Even if you have watched endless hours of cooking shows or attempted to impress your spouse by eating the shrimp with the shells still on, there are other ways to prepare shrimp and make sure that you’re eating them safely. Don’t let these mistakes get the best of you.
Buying Supposedly Fresh Shrimp
Usually, when you buy groceries, you want to get everything as fresh as possible. So in that same vein, it would stand to reason that fresh-caught shrimp would be the most delicious. Except that this is not the case. Buying live shrimp out of the tank or straight from the ocean is the way to go if you want to do this; otherwise, don’t bother. The so-called fresh shrimp has been sitting around and slowly going bad. This is one of those cases where you’re better off buying a large pack of already frozen shrimp and taking it home with you.
Thawing Them Incorrectly
You can’t cook the shrimp while they’re still frozen. Whether you want to toss them with some angel hair pasta in a creamy sauce or you wanted to prepare them with curry and vegetables, you can’t skip the step where you thaw them out first. But beware, because it is entirely possible to thaw them incorrectly. Avoid using a microwave, and don’t just leave them out on the counter. They won’t defrost the same way as chicken, pork, or beef. Try putting them in a colander and leave them in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, you can pile them into a large plastic bag and squeeze all of the excess air out. Then, turn on the tap and run cold water over the bag for
Cooking Them Too Long
Finally, think about it this way: you might be overcooking your shrimp. Like other types of seafood such as fish, the proteins in shrimp break down much faster than meat or poultry which means it doesn’t need to be cooked as long. Shrimp are also smaller, which means that it takes less time for heat to spread through them, even in large batches. If the shrimp start to curl up, then you’ve overdone it.
YOUR SEAFOOD DESTINATION
Costas Inn has been a Baltimore tradition since 1971. You may recognize our restaurant, which was recently featured on the Food Network with Michael Symon on Burgers, Brew, and ‘Que! We were also voted the 2015 #1 Baltimore Seafood Restaurant by USA Today, as well as #1 Crab Restaurant 2014 in the Baltimore Business Journal. You may have also spotted Costas Inn during one of our 9 appearances on the Today Show or heard one of our many interviews on WJZ TV Channel 13 with Ron Matz and Marty Bass.
You can enjoy our famous crab cakes in-house or order them online for any time eating. We also provide some of the best seafood catering in the Baltimore area! You can also get your fill from Costas even when you’re not in our dining room: follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Tags: cooking shrimp, seafood facts, shrimp
