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Buying Fresh Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients

How to make it

  • Raw uncooked shrimp require cold, cold, cold. Look for shrimp that are white or brown, but never showing pink. There is Gulf Coast saying: "Never red in the head." They should not have a "fishy odor." Make the store put your shrimp in a plastic bag with lots of ice for the trip home, even if it is a short distance. Shrimp can not be subjected to warm temperatures. Once home, place shrimp in a bowl with lots of ice and refrigerate until ready to use. Dry refrigeration just doesn't get cold enough to hold shrimp. Farm-raised shrimp are becoming common. They're a good product and are helping keep the cost down, but they lack the salt found in the Gulf and ocean waters. So, add some salt to the water about an hour before cooking and let shrimp soak this in. Don't overcook. Cook just until they turn pink. Heat causes shrimp to turn pink, thus the reason you don't buy raw shrimp that are pink. They have been subjected to temperature abuse. ENJOY!

Reviews & Comments 6

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  • jess 16 years ago
    Thanks ChefJeb for your info on shrimp. It just so happens I bought some at the store earlier today. I knew at the no pink rule but didn't know about icing them as soon as you got home. Will do that from now on.
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  • chefjeb 16 years ago
    I'm nost sure what you are talking about. What is sustainable and unsustainable farm rasied shrimp? In my part of the world we grow Prawns and catfish in large ponds. They are certainly sustainable. There isn't enough wild caught shrimp in the world to supply the demand. That makes it unsustainable. And when the trawlers go out belching diesel smoke and pulling nets that pickup every kind of sea creature, including endangered sea turtles, it makes you wonder. Doesn't it?
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  • arickard 16 years ago
    A comment on pond raised shrimp:

    The reason the water for pond-raised shrimp (also known as intensive shrimp farming or aquaculture) is not clear is due to unsustainable farming practices. Not only is it less delicious, it is extremely harmful to the environment. Please shop for sustainably farmed shrimp! It is more expensive, but worth the extra cost to secure our environment's future, and the future of the shrimp population.
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  • halbert 16 years ago
    You're 100% correct about the "no pink" rule. I generally refer to good, fresh shrimp as being "gray" in color. I'll try the salt water bath for farm raised. That might help.

    I've found, over the years, that more shrimp are ruined by overcooking than most anything else. Shrimp that have been overcooked will have a "mealy" consistency to the point that the flesh actually sloughs off when peeled. A perfectly cooked shrimp will have a nice firm consistency with a smooth outer surface--it will have a crisp snap when bitten into. Oh, yes--and it will have been boiled in beer with Old Bay and quenched with beer to stop the cooking. I know, I know; you can't bring yourself to abuse beer for this purpose, but believe me, it is well worth the sacrifice.
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  • coffeebean53 16 years ago
    Okay Linda...I'm going to keep my eye on the weather now. I can fly down there for free, so first hurricane I see coming your way I'm coming to dinner. ahahahahahaa
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  • linebb956 16 years ago
    Living here on the Gulf of Mexico I am very spoiled when it comes to shrimp.. When I made the mistake and bought pond raised I could tell the difference. I might give the salt water a try, but to me they taste muddy. And we have been to the shrimp farms.. the water is not clear..We get ours right off the boat, we drive down to Padre about once every 6 weeks and load up. I take a cooler with ice, and he ices them in the bag also.. We get them home and freeze ASAP. We put in a zip lock with ice and water, then into a seal a meal that sucks all air out.. double wrap them. They keep just like fresh that way..
    We get a hurricane and the elec goes out the first thing we will eat will be those shrimp!
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