Shrimps, like other seafood, have an amazing, deep taste that comes from the increased concentration of tasty amino acids in their cells compared to terrestrial animals. This type of adaptation to living conditions in the salt waters of the seas and oceans was a must. If there were not enough dissolved substances in the cells of marine animals, due to the phenomenon of osmosis, they would simply lose too much water that would naturally leak through their membranes to reduce the concentration of the salt water around them. Fortunately for us, shrimp accumulate in their cells glycine and glutamate, i.e. compounds that give them a sweet and umami taste. How to make shrimp?
What shrimp to buy
Shrimps are usually bought in frozen form. Those sold in stores as fresh probably were simply thawed before the exposure. There is no regret, however, that they have been frozen, because shrimp belong to those products that perfectly endure this process. It is also one of the few methods to ensure their high quality, because during standard storage, even at low temperatures, they lose many flavors and acquire an unpleasant, soft, mushy consistency.
What we will need for cooking shrimp:
- Shrimp – any amount, the more the better
- Skewer sticks – number of sticks = number of shrimps
- Ginger – 4 – 5 slices
- Garlic – 4 – 5 slices
- salt
- Water
- Wok
- Lemon – a few drops of fresh lemon juice are added to the water when we cook shrimps that were previously frozen
- Wine
How to prepare shrimp for cooking
We tear off the head of raw shrimps, clean them of the legs, armor and gastrointestinal tract, leaving only the tails. Then thoroughly wash in cold water and gently press on skewers.
You can peel before cooking but nothing prevents you to cook them in shells and peel them only after cooking. Just tear your head off by twisting it in one move and poking at the stick and the rest you will do later.
I recommend cooking shrimps stuck on sticks so that they will not curl during cooking. It will be easier then to cut them in half to nigiri or roll them in a roll.
How to cook shrimps
Pour water into a wok or pot, salt and then throw in a few slices of ginger and a few garlic and lemon juice if the shrimp were frozen. We boil water and throw shrimp into boiling water. We bring the water to a boil again and cook
- 2 – 3 minutes when they are fresh
- 1 – 2 minutes when they are frozen
Do not thaw shrimp at room temperature. To preserve their taste, it’s best to defrost them for several hours in the fridge.
Preparation
Warm up butter and oil in a large frying pan, add shallots, ginger and chillies. If the shallots glaze, we add the main characters. Fry for 2-3 minutes on high heat, add wine and add garlic. Fry another 3-4 minutes. Finally, season with salt and pepper. You can sprinkle with lemon juice.
Serve with croutons, sprinkled with parsley. The shrimp prepared in this way, together with the sauce, can be mixed with cooked noodles and we have a ready dinner dish.
