This quick, gentle cooking method makes for tender, delicious shrimp, especially if you buy wild-caught, Gulf Coast shrimp. Once cooked, plunge into an ice bath to cool then keep refrigerated until you want to enjoy a shrimp cocktail. Chilled poached shrimp make great salad toppers (especially with flavors like these: Soba Salad with Almond Butter Dressing or Vietnamese Rice Noodles) and are essential for making fresh Spring Rolls and Shrimp Escabeche.
from the RiPE archives, February 2015
Poached Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1–2 pounds medium shrimp (16/20 count), thawed if frozen, shells removed and cleaned
- 2 lemons, halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt or sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 whole allspice
- 1 whole clove
- several grinds of black pepper
Instructions
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Set large pot of water on stovetop and turn on the heat. Squeeze in the juice from all four lemon halves and add them as well along with the bay leaves, celery seed, salt, and other spices if you have them (if not, no worries).
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Bring stockpot of goodies just barely to a boil and let simmer 5 minutes to infuse the liquid. Get a bowl of ice water ready, you will put the shrimp in here immediately after cooking. Lower the heat under the stockpot until water stops simmering.
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Add shrimp and move them around in the hot water to evenly distribute the heat. The shrimp are done when they have turned opaque and pink, about 3 minutes. Keep the water hot, but not boiling during this poaching time.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked shrimp to the ice bath to stop the cooking. After a minute or so, transfer shrimp to a plate and chill until ready to serve.
