How To Cook Shrimp And Mistakes To Avoid (PHOTOS) | HuffPost Life

Let's never wrestle with an overcooked, rubbery one again, okay?

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The thing about cooking shrimp is that we're all probably doing it for too long. Anyone who's ever wrestled with a tough, rubbery, depressing shrimp will understand what we mean. We love shrimp for its versatility, sweetness and speed of preparation. It's one of the quickest-cooking proteins we can think of, but also still feels totally luxurious once you're eating it. But just because shrimp cooks quickly, doesn't mean you can't screw it up.

When it comes to how to cook shrimp, most of our advice tends to reside in the buying, cleaning and prepping stages. Because we all love great shrimp, we wanted to talk about some of the shrimp mistakes you might be making, and how to avoid them. So we can all eat great shrimp. Because we all deserve to.

Using Shrimp That Are Past Their Prime

Flickr:VasenkaPhotography

Fresh shrimp are extremely perishable. You should try your absolute best to cook them within 24 hours of purchasing them. If the only fresh shrimp available at the market were farmed in a far-flung location (like Thailand), they were probably previously frozen anyway. In that case, buy frozen, preferably with the shells on, preferably wild-caught, as close to home as possible. Whatever you do, if your shrimp smell like ammonia, take the hit and throw them out -- they're too old.

Not Defrosting Frozen Shrimp Before Cooking

Flickr: stu_spivack

Plunking still-frozen shrimp into poaching water (or worse, into a sauté pan or onto the grill) will lower the temperature of your cooking environment and cause the shrimp to cook un-evenly. There is a dead simple way to defrost shrimp: put them in a bowl of cold water in the sink, with the water running very lightly continuously. They'll defrost in just a few minutes.

Mangling Your Shrimp While Deveining

YouTube: SAVEUR

Using a dull knife to devein shrimp will leave you with mushy, mangled shrimp. Shrimp are delicate, so the less you handle them, them better. Try this awesome trick from SAVEUR with kitchen shears, which gives you the option of shelling the shrimp, or cooking with the shells on, while still cleaning the gross stuff out.

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Not Saving The Shells/Heads

Flickr: Phú Thịnh Co

Shrimp heads and shells are like treasure chests of shrimp flavor. That's why shrimp taste better when you cook them in their shells. Whatever you do, save your shrimp heads and shells in a freezer bag. Later, sauté them in a little butter to make instant shrimp butter, or simmer them with herbs, salt and a few veggies for instant shrimp stock. You're on your way to the best bouillabaisse of all time.

Not Seasoning Your Shrimp

Flickr: Kjunstorm

The best shrimp is sweet, tender and full of oceany flavor -- but they're also incredibly mild and they always require salt. In fact, they can stand up to quite a bit of seasoning, as demonstrated by dishes like shrimp etouffee and classic Old Bay shrimp boils. Season them, they like it.

Overcooking Your Shrimp

Flickr: David Reber's Hammer Photography

Here is your general rule: straight shrimp are undercooked, shrimp that have just curled into a C-shape are perfectly cooked and shrimp that have twisted into an O-shape are terribly, irreparably overcooked. Overcooked shrimp are rubbery and sad. We hope you never have to eat one for your whole life.

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Buying Pre-Packed Shrimp Cocktail

Flickr: Erik Starck

There are all kinds of benefits to making your own shrimp cocktail, like controlling the flavor and seasoning of the shrimp, deveining them properly, etc. But the best reason? You know whether they're fresh or not. Pre-cooked shrimp could very well have been cooked in the store to salvage nearly expired uncooked shrimp.

Buying Pre-Cooked, Frozen Salad Shrimp

Flickr: jeffreyw

Yeah, no. Just say no to salad shrimp. These are meant to be freeze-dried and put into ramen noodle cups.

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Before You Go

Shrimp Recipes

Sizzling Shrimp Scampi(01 of40)

Get the Sizzling Shrimp Scampi recipe (credit:Con Poulos/Food & Wine)

Smoky Shrimp and Grits(02 of40)

Get the Smoky Shrimp and Grits recipe (credit:Quentin Bacon/Food & Wine)

Goan Shrimp Curry(03 of40)

Get the Goan Shrimp Curry recipe (credit:David Malosh/Food & Wine)

Pan-Seared Sichuan Shrimp With Mung Bean Noodles(04 of40)

Get the Pan-Seared Sichuan Shrimp with Mung Bean Noodles recipe (credit:Tina Rupp/Food & Wine)

Indian-Spiced Shrimp(05 of40)

Get the Indian-Spiced Shrimp recipe (credit:New Media Publishing)

Valencian Seafood Paella(06 of40)

Get the Valencian Seafood Paella recipe (credit:Jason Lowe)

Roasted Basil Butter Parmesan Shrimp(07 of40)

Get the Roasted Basil Butter Parmesan Shrimp recipe by How Sweet It Is (credit:How Sweet It Is)

Lemony Bulgur Salad With Shrimp And Spinach(08 of40)

Get the Lemony Bulgur Salad with Shrimp and Spinach recipe

Shrimp Burgers With Chipotle Cream & Coconut Peach Salsa(09 of40)

Get the Shrimp Burgers with Chipotle Cream & Coconut Peach Salsa recipe by How Sweet It Is (credit:How Sweet It Is)

Grilled Shrimp With Citrus-Sambal-Oelek Dressing(10 of40)

Get the Grilled Shrimp with Citrus-Sambal-Oelek Dressing recipe

Shrimp Steamed In Paper With White Wine And Orange(11 of40)

Get the Shrimp Steamed in Paper with White Wine and Orange recipe (credit:Julie Toy)

Shrimp and Sweet Corn Curry(12 of40)

Get the Shrimp and Sweet Corn Curry recipe (credit:Ben Fink)

Grilled Shrimp Skewer Over White Bean Salad(13 of40)

Get the Grilled Shrimp Skewer Over White Bean Salad recipe (credit:EatingWell)

Shrimp Cakes(14 of40)

Get the Shrimp Cakes recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Spinach-And-Shrimp Salad With Chile Dressing(15 of40)

Get the Spinach-and-Shrimp Salad with Chile Dressing recipe (credit:Frances Janisch/Food & Wine)

Peppery Garlic Prawns(16 of40)

Get the Peppery Garlic Prawns recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Shrimp With Garlic, Tomatoes And Feta Cheese(17 of40)

Get the Shrimp with Garlic, Tomatoes and Feta Cheese recipe (credit:New Media Publishing)

Shrimp And Bacon Risotto(18 of40)

Get the Shrimp and Bacon Risotto recipe by How Sweet It Is (credit:How Sweet It Is)

Shrimp Creole Polenta(19 of40)

Get the Shrimp Creole Polenta recipe (credit:New Media Publishing)

Shrimp With A Mexican Tomato Sauce(20 of40)

Get the Shrimp with a Mexican Tomato Sauce recipe (credit:New Media Publishing)

Shrimp-Stuffed Peppers(21 of40)

Get the Shrimp-Stuffed Peppers recipe (credit:Joseph De Leo/Food & WIne)

Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich(22 of40)

Get the Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Thai-Style Spring Rolls With Shrimp(23 of40)

Get the Thai-Style Spring Rolls with Shrimp recipe (credit:Julie Toy)

Fresh Corn Chowder With Bacon + Barbecue Shrimp(24 of40)

Get the Fresh Corn Chowder with Bacon + Barbecue Shrimp recipe by How Sweet It Is (credit:How Sweet It Is)

Shrimp Banh Mi(25 of40)

Get the Shrimp Banh Mi recipe (credit:EatingWell)

Tortilla-Crusted Shrimp With Avocado Crema(26 of40)

Get the Tortilla-Crusted Shrimp with Avocado Crema recipe (credit:Frances Janisch)

Vietnamese-Style Shrimp And Watercress Stir-Fry(27 of40)

Get the Vietnamese-Style Shrimp and Watercress Stir-Fry recipe

Shrimp Gumbo With Andouille Sausage(28 of40)

Get the Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Angel Hair Pasta With Shrimp And Lemon Cream Sauce(29 of40)

Get the Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Lemon Cream Sauce recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Linguine With Shrimp And Creamy Roasted Tomatoes(30 of40)

Get the Linguine with Shrimp and Creamy Roasted Tomatoes recipe</strong> (credit:Quentin Bacon/Food & Wine)

Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp With Soba Noodles(31 of40)

Get the Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp with Soba Noodles recipe

Shrimp-And-Feta-Stuffed Zucchini(32 of40)

Get the Shrimp-and-Feta-Stuffed Zucchini recipe (credit:Kana Okada/Food & Wine)

Shrimp Dip(33 of40)

Get the Shrimp Dip recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Spicy Warm Shrimp Cocktail(34 of40)

Get the Spicy Warm Shrimp Cocktail recipe (credit:Ray Kachatorian)

Smoky Paprika Shrimp Skewers(35 of40)

Get the Smoky Paprika Shrimp Skewers recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Green Tea Soba Soup With Shrimp And Shiitakes(36 of40)

Get the Green Tea Soba Soup with Shrimp and Shiitakes recipe (credit:EatingWell)

Sangria-Glazed Shrimp(37 of40)

Get the Sangria-Glazed Shrimp recipe (credit:Ben Fink)

Ancho Chile, Shrimp And Pasta(38 of40)

Get the Ancho Chile, Shrimp, and Pasta recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Crispy Shrimp Pizza(39 of40)

Get the Crispy Shrimp Pizza recipe by How Sweet It Is (credit:How Sweet It Is)

Cioppino(40 of40)

Get the Cioppino recipe by Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

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