Cooking shrimp without them shrinking requires certain tricks. These tricks, which range from selection to processing in the kitchen, are not as difficult as one may think. With these tricks, you can lower the possibility of the shrimp curling or becoming small.
What are those tricks? Check out the discussion below.
Cooking Shrimp without Them Shrinking
There are a few tricks for processing and cooking shrimp while preventing them from shrinking. Here is the full discussion:
Selecting fresh shrimp
The first step in ensuring that shrimp do not shrink when cooked is to use fresh shrimp. Select shrimp with a firm and jelly-like texture, a non-reddish body, bright gills, firm tail, and full intestines.
Cut the shrimp’s underside
On the shrimp’s underside or belly area, there are a bunch of small slats connected by a vein. This vein allows shrimp to easily curl and shrink. When cooked, this vein will pull the shrimp’s body.
You need to eliminate the vein by making 2-3 small slits using a knife. Avoid slitting too deeply, since this might split or even wreck the shrimp.
Cut the shrimp lengthwise
Cutting the shrimp lengthwise from head to tail (butterflying technique) reduces the possibility of curling when cooked. However, this technique is actually optional, depending on the recipe.
Grill shrimp without peeling its shell
Grilled shrimp is one of the popular shrimp dishes. If you want to make it, avoid peeling the shrimp. The shell will shield the shrimp’s body from high temperatures, preventing it from curling or shrinking too quickly.
Avoid overcooking
Overcooking shrimp causes it to curl into an O shape. Its size will also be greatly reduced compared to its original size. Therefore, you should avoid cooking it for too long. If you boil shrimp and don’t want to eat it right away, you can stop the cooking process by dipping the boiled shrimp into cold water.
Conclusion
Shrimp that shrinks easily when cooked becomes a challenge for those who cook it. However, there are various ways to cook shrimp that prevents it from shrinking, including
- Selecting fresh shrimp
- Cut the shrimp’s underside
- Cut the shrimp lengthwise
- Grill shrimp without peeling its shell
- Avoid overcooking
Basically, the quality of shrimp has a significant impact on its texture and size after cooking. Therefore, make sure you choose fresh and high-quality shrimp as your ingredients from Frosala.
Frosala provides a variety of frozen shrimp harvested from professional farms. In addition, each Frosala shrimp is frozen on the same day to ensure freshness.
What are you waiting for? Order Frosala shrimp today and prove its freshness!