Let's Talk Shrimp!


 
J

JimT

TVWBB Pro
I love shrimp, and keep seeing these delicious sounding recipes. Problem is, they all seem to call for fresh/raw shrimp, and around here they are prohibitively expensive. A typical recipe might say to marinate then grill until done (opaque) which normally is only 2 to 3 minutes per side.

What's a person to do that can only get the pre-cooked, frozen shrimp that every supermarket in America sells? Will the recipes be any good? Is there any point in thawing, marinating, then grilling until warm?

What do you all do when you want to serve shrimp as an appetizer or "finger food" at a party?

Thanks,

JimT
 
Even though it's frozen, it's still fresh and raw. When I lived near the coast in Florida, I would prefer whole, fresh, unfrozen shrimp but it's not that different once thawed. You should be ok with frozen shrimp with most recipes.

Bill

EDIT: Just to add, some fishing boats go out and come back the same day and those fish are sold at markets/auctions THAT day, and they're still whole but on ice. The fishing boats that go out for weeks at a time to fill their hold will process the fish on the boat (clean and freeze) .. These are probably fresher than what you get from the day boats. I recieved some frozen, vac sealed wild salmon filets from a buddy in Alaska a while back and it was the best salmon I've ever had. It was processed on the boat.
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Jim,

Not sure what your Sam's Club situation is, but I normally get cheap raw frozen shrimp there and just defrost them.

We're talking like $4-5 dollars a pound and it is sold in 2 pound packs.

Good luck
Josh
 
There have been more times then not when I have passed by the fresh product because they lack appeal. They don't hold up for long. In a conversation with my local supermarket guy, their "fresh" are thawed right from the same bags in the display case. (There's fresh for ya) Something may be lost in the freezing process to those that are still kicking right off a boat, a challenging purchase to find, but this is one thing I won't hesitate to purchase frozen.

Gary
 
Head-on shrimp especially do not hold long because of the enzymes in their heads. The head-ons I buy are frozen at sea, or iced at sea and frozen at shore plants. I thaw immediately before use.

The vast majority of shrimp are headed and IQF'd (individually quick frozen) at sea or in plants at the shrimp farms. They're very good (especially the U.S. pinks and whites). Hard not recommend IQF shrimp. So much better than the 2.5-, 5-, or 10-lb frozen shrimp blocks that used to be the norm.
 
Thanks for the replies, guys!

Josh - You're not that far from me. I'll check my local Sam's. $4 to $5 a pound is very "livable."


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My real question was about using pre-cooked frozen shrimp. How would it be to thaw them out, marinate for an hour of so, then toss on the grill for a really quick sear?

Could they come out OK, or do you think it would be a waste of time? I guess I could just try a batch and see what happens!
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Thanks,

JimT
 
Though not quite as good as shrimp you'd marinate from the raw state, doing what you suggest will work. Commercial vat-cooked shrimp are blast frozen just after cooking. This causes them to retain a lot of the moisture they take on during cooking--but when they thaw they are kind of on the mushy side. Cooking them further firms them up, a good thing, imo. Be brief on the grill--cook just till firm--then serve immediately.
 
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