Buying, Preparing, and Cooking Frozen Shrimp Recipes at Home

Buying frozen shrimp to make frozen shrimp recipes is sometime better than purchasing fresh shrimp. The shrimp which labeled as fresh by the sellers at your local groceries it does not mean they are not frozen at all because they are previously frozen in order to maintain the freshness and then thawed before being sold as fresh. Unless you have an access to buy fresh and raw shrimp which still alive after being caught right out of the ocean, it is always better to go frozen shrimp instead.
Anyway, shrimp is delicious and it is one of the most cherished sea foods in the world because many people love them. You can cook the shrimp in so many ways like grilling, pan frying, broiling, and many more. It does not matter whether you buy peeled or unpeeled shrimp, wild or caught and whether the head and tail still on or off as long as you know what to do when you want to cook them. Here are few important notes that you may want to understand first before cooking frozen shrimp recipes.

How to prepare and cook frozen shrimp recipes properly
Most of us must be buy frozen shrimp and many large supermarkets offer bags of frozen shrimp, these are some guides you can note when purchasing and preparing them for your delicious frozen shrimp recipes:
1.      When buying the shrimp
The frozen shrimp package should mention the country of origin as well as whether the shrimp is harvested from wild caught or the farms. You can look for a shrimp that packaged with ‘IQF’ label on the bag because it stands for ‘individually quick frozen’ which mean that the shrimp is not frozen in the ice block so you can possible to have better texture and flavor. In addition, check the ingredient because the only ingredient listed should be shrimp without additional chemicals, preservatives, or salt. The packages are usually mention about whether the shrimp is peeled or unpeeled as well as the size of the shrimp.

2.      Thawing or defrosting the frozen shrimp
Before you start to make frozen shrimp recipes the shrimp needs to be defrosted and how you thaw them will impact the final result especially the texture. When you purchase bags of frozen shrimp then this is some tips on how to thaw them properly:
-          Take out the shrimp according to your recipe and reseal the bag, store the unused shrimp back to the freezer.
-          Place the shrimp in colander and put into a bowl full of cold water. After that, let the shrimp soaked in the water for few minutes and take out. Change the water and repeat the process till the shrimp totally defrosted.

-          The shrimp should be defrosted completely when you leave them soaked in the water for 10 to 20 minutes. Before cooking, you should pat the shrimp dry.
Alternatively, you can also defrost the shrimp by store them overnight in refrigerator. The steps above are just some guides if you want to cook the shrimp quickly and straight out of the freezer.
3.      Start to cook your frozen shrimp recipes ideas
Some note to successfully cook frozen shrimp is by not overcook them. Regardless of the cooking method you want to use like broiling, frying, grilling, etc. It is better to not cook them for too long because they cook quickly. Depending on the size of the shrimp, it is usually just need about 2 to 3 minutes for the shrimp to cook and the flesh turn opaque when you pan frying it. In addition, it is better to take the veins out since it is not too appealing to be consumed. And here are few ideas for shrimp recipes which you can try:

-          Shrimp fried rice for simple and easy recipe and you just need to use leftover rice.
-          Shrimp cocktail for those who like sweet flavor dishes with some spicy sauces.
-          Baked shrimp that can be cooked with pasta and tomatoes.
-          Grilled shrimp which can be cooked easily with grilled tools and some brush of teriyaki sauce.
-          Shrimp salad, an easy way to eat some healthy meal in the morning and you can add chopped red pepper, celery, and scallions.
Those are several ideas of frozen shrimp product recipes which you can try, search the recipes on internet and you will find hundreds of good recipes.