Boiling shrimp is naturally not difficult, even it can be said that this is one of the easiest dishes to make. However, not everyone knows how to boil shrimp so that it is not fishy and can retain its sweetness, firmness, and freshness after boiling.
Should you use hot water or cold water to boil shrimp?
Many people complain that they don’t know why boiling shrimp is very simple but the dish, after being done, is both dry and fishy, with less sweetness and not as good as in restaurants.
Some people use cold water with salt to boil shrimp, while others use hot water. According to the shared experiences of experienced chefs, the use of water and the appropriate temperature to boil shrimp greatly affects the quality of the dish. So, should you use hot water or cold water to boil shrimp?
Should you use hot water or cold water to boil shrimp? (Image: Adobe Stock)
The answer is that neither of the two methods above is optimal and does not bring out the best taste for shrimp. If you boil shrimp with cold water, the temperature of the water will gradually increase until it boils. This process takes too long. Shrimp meat is naturally tender and sweet, but if cooked for too long, it will become dry, tough, and even fishy.
In the case of using hot water, the shrimp will shrink quickly, and the taste will also be less appetizing. The best way is to bring the water to a high heat but not wait for it to boil completely, when you see bubbles rising from the bottom, then add the shrimp (the water temperature at this time is about 85-90 degrees Celsius). Stir to cook the shrimp evenly.
The boiling time for shrimp is about 2-3 minutes for small shrimp, 5 minutes for larger shrimp, and you can scoop them out when the shrimp turns red. Leaving them in for too long will make the shrimp dry and lose the original tender and delicious taste.
Notes when boiling shrimp
To make delicious boiled shrimp, besides the water temperature, you also need to pay attention to some other factors.
Choose fresh and good shrimp
You have to choose good shrimp in order to make delicious boiled shrimp. The most basic thing when buying shrimp is to choose those that are still alive, healthy, and fresh.
First, look at the shrimp’s shell. High-quality lobster usually has a white-green color, while male shrimp have a light yellow color.
Fresh shrimp have a bright and clean shell; the head is tightly connected to the body.
Look at the joint between the head and the body of the shrimp, if it is black and not tight, and the head feels like it is about to fall off, then the shrimp is not fresh.
When buying shrimp, you should also pay attention to the smell. Fresh shrimp will have a distinctive smell. Frozen shrimp will have a mild seafood smell and no other smell.
With frozen shrimp, you will see some curved ones and some straight ones. If possible, choose the curved ones because they are the shrimp that are still alive before freezing. If you buy frozen shrimp, you should try pressing the body, if the body is firm, it means it was alive before freezing. The shrimp with straight bodies are all dead before being preserved.
Boil shrimp correctly
Fresh shrimp should be trimmed their whiskers and rinsed thoroughly. Many people meticulously remove the shrimp vein because they believe that this will prevent the shrimp from being fishy. However, it is best not to remove the shrimp vein when boiling shrimp. Because peeling the shrimp before boiling will cause the shrimp to lose its sweet taste during the cooking process.
Add water to a boil, but you don’t need a lot of water because the shrimp will release water during boiling. Adding too much water will dilute the shrimp’s taste.
After that, add a little cooking oil, lemongrass, ginger, and scallions to the pot of water. Scallions, lemongrass, and ginger help to remove the fishy smell of seafood. Cooking oil can ensure the bright color of the shrimp, and a little salt in the water can make the shrimp more tender.
Cook over high heat but do not let the water boil completely, when you see bubbles rising from the bottom, then add the shrimp to boil as instructed above.
According to VTC.vn
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