Cooking shrimp quickly
Shrimp are lean and small. They cook in 2 to 3 minutes and turn rubbery soon after. Done shrimp are pink and opaque in a loose C, at 63°C (145°F). A tight O means overcooked.
Cook dry shrimp hot and fast
Pat shrimp dry so they brown instead of steaming. Cook them in one layer in a hot pan, about a minute per side. Keep lime or lemon marinades to 15 minutes. Longer, and the acid firms them up chalky, like ceviche.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
You check three shrimp after 2 minutes. Which one is cooked just right?
One pink and opaque, in a loose C. Pink, opaque flesh in a loose C means it's just done.
True or false: Shrimp keep cooking for a moment after leaving the pan, so pull them a little early.
True. Small, lean pieces hold residual heat, so shrimp keep cooking a little on a hot pan or plate.
What went wrong? You leave shrimp in a lime juice marinade for four hours. They come out chalky.
Acid firmed the proteins before cooking. Four hours in lime juice firms shrimp like ceviche. Marinate in acid for 15 minutes at most.
Fill the blank: A tight O-shaped shrimp is overcooked because the muscle ___ and squeezed out water.
A tight O-shaped shrimp is overcooked because the muscle tightened and squeezed out water. Heat tightens the muscle until it curls into an O and pushes out water.
Why cook shrimp with the shells on when you can?
Shells buffer the heat and add flavor. They shield the meat from direct heat and flavor the pan.
