Thawing frozen shrimp should be done overnight. Simply place the frozen shrimp in a bowl, cover the shrimp, and place this in the coldest section of your fridge. If you want a quicker thaw, simply run the shrimp under tap water until they are pliable. You should never thaw frozen shrimp in hot or warm water and you should never microwave it since this will begin the cooking process.

After thawing the shrimp, the next process is cleaning. This should be done immediately after the thawing process. To clean your shrimp, simply rinse them thoroughly under cold running water. Some people prefer to peel off and to devein shrimp before cooking, some after cooking, and others eat their shrimp without peeling and deveining it. If the heads have not been removed, remove them before cooking. You should pinch off the legs and remove the tails and the shells before cooking. To devein your shrimp, slice the back and use your finger to scoop it out. You should do this under cold running water.

There are different recipes that you can use to cook shrimp. Some recipes require that you butterfly the shrimp. This is basically the cutting open of the shrimp. One of the most popular ways of cooking shrimp is poaching. This method is better than boiling since the shrimp is too delicate for boiling and it leads to overcooking. To do this, simple place the shrimp in your simmering water or source at boiling temperature, but this liquid should not be bubbling. You should let the shrimp simmer for between 3 and 5 minutes or until the tails curl or the shrimp turn pink. After cooking, drain the liquid before serving. Another way of how to cook shrimp is sautéing. This is a quick cooking method where the shrimp is cooked in a little butter or hot oil. First heat the butter or the oil and then place the shrimp on your pan. You should turn the shrimp just once. The shrimp will be done3 in about 3 minutes or until it is pink or the tail curled. Other popular methods are grilling, pan frying or scampi, deep frying, and brining.

Shrimp can also be cooked using skewers and this is to keep it from falling through the grate while grilling. You can use bamboo or wood skewers and be sure to soak the shrimp in water before grilling in order to prevent it from catching on fire. Cooked shrimp will appear white or opaque. The recipe for grilled shrimp will require you to follow a few steps and the first one will be to prepare a simple shrimp marinade and this is done by mixing tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic as well as red wine vinegar. You can then add the peeled deveined shrimp to the marinade, stir and later cover.

This is supposed to be refrigerated for up to one hour. Meanwhile you should preheat the grill on medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Proceed by adding shrimp to skewers end on end and cook the shrimp for two or three minutes until they turn opaque. Shrimp can be classified as a barbecue meal and it is the most popular seafood in the market today. It is also important to note that you should never refreeze thawed shrimp once you bring them home and never allow them to sit in the refrigerator for more than two days.

You should always maintain a constant medium heat when learning how to cook shrimp because if the grill is too hot the shrimp will scorch and burn and if the heat is too low the shrimp may not cook. Shrimp can also be grilled without oils or spices but this is based on personal preference. When grilling shrimp there are several things that you will need and this will include Colanders, Salt, tongs, large cooking pots, 1 to 2 lbs of raw shrimp, 2 tbsp lemon juices as well as Grand Prix II Chefs knives.

Simple Grilled Shrimp – that ROCKS!

• 1-2 ponds of peeled, deveined, cleaned shrimp
• Drizzle olive oil over shrimp
• Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning and rub into to shrimp.
• Place shrimp on skewers for ease of flipping on grill.
• Put shrimp on HOT grill for 1 minute on first side. Flip and cook two or three minutes on other side.
• Adjust cooking times for size of shrimp and your preferences.

The idea is to have nice, translucent / white shrimp when you are finished. It’s fast, delicious and healthy. Everything a meal should be. Serve with some crusty bread and a nice salad for a quick meal that is as good for you as it is delicious. Take this simple idea and try a million variations on the theme.

Here are some ideas to get you started…

Grilled shrimp helps shrimp salad take on a rich new flavor. Similarly, it would work wonders in your favorite shrimp pasta recipe. If you plan to have a cream sauce on your pasta, I would suggest leaving out the Old Bay seasoning on the above recipe.

Shell-On Grilled Shrimp

Same recipe as above, except we are going for PINK coloring on the shell. (In addition to adding lots of flavor, the shell acts as a built in thermometer.)  Also, instead of Old Bay Seasoning, you could try a bit of paprika, salt and pepper. Rub it and let it sit for a minute before slapping them on the grill. A squeeze of lemon goes a long way, too. If you want to take the lemon thing a step further, put lemon halves on the grill at the last minute. The heat releases the juices, as well as adding a little more grill flavor to the lemons.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher (or sea) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper  (careful!)
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons (preferably fresh) lemon juice

Combine everything EXCEPT THE SHRIMP in a bowl. Mix it to form a pretty thick marinade..almost a paste. Toss dry shrimp into the bowl and, um, toss! Make sure the flavoring is all over the shrimp. Let them sit for a minute or two, then put them on a medium fire for two or three minutes per side. When they are white or translucent, they’re done.