 How to Cook Shrimp
Cooking shrimp is generally easy and they cook very quickly. The most popular ways to cook shrimp include boiling, steaming, baking, and deep frying or frying. Of course you can always purchase frozen shrimp that is already cooked and mix them into your sauces or recipes as you're preparing them (thawed, of course), but if you've purchased raw shrimp, here are some shrimp cooking tips:
Boiling Shrimp
Always thaw shrimp before preparing if they are frozen. Boil shrimp in a large pot with 4 cups of water per pound of shrimp. You can season the water before boiling but this is not necessary. Bring the water to a boil and watch the shrimp. They will be done when the shrimp turn bright pink and the meat turns opaque. Cooked shrimp will float. Cooking time will vary depending on shrimp size, but figure about 2-4 minutes, depending on size. It could be only 1 minute for tiny shrimp. As mentioned, they do cook very quickly. Drain and set aside for your recipe.
Steaming Shrimp
Fill a large pot with water and simmer over low heat. Use a steamer basket and fill it with shrimp. Place in the pot and cover. Steam until the skin becomes opaque and the shrimp skin or shell turns bright pink.
How to Fry Shrimp
To fry shrimp in a pan, heat a saute pan to medium heat and add a bit of olive oil or spray oil. Add thawed shrimp and fry about 2-4 minutes, or until skin becomes opaque and the shrimp skin turns bright pink.
To deep fry your shrimp, coat the shrimp with your favorite breading and deip into your deep fryer with your basket. Be sure the oil is heated to 360 degrees F. Fry until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes, then drain of the fat.
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