Shrimp recipes are regarded as one of the most favorite recipes in America. Well, on a global count you could find many people out there who do not even like to eat fish, but they love shrimp pretty much. There are many different types of shrimp dishes. Shrimp is generally low in calories and fat so taking shrimp is beneficial for dieters. On the other hand, shrimp contain a great amount of cholesterol which might come up as a little worry.
Saltwater shrimp are categorized into two kinds, such as ‘Cold water’ and ‘Warm water’ species. ‘Cold water’ shrimp are caught in the North Atlantic and northern Pacific waters while ‘warm water’ shrimp are mostly caught in tropical waters. The majority of warm water shrimp are classified by the color of their shells like Pink, Brown and White shrimp.
Purchasing Shrimp
Almost all shrimp are frozen as soon as they are processed. The longer they stay frozen the fresher they will be. While purchasing shrimp look for bigger shrimp with shells on if possible. Shrimp with white meat are the best so buy them with a full shell. Do not buy peeled shrimp or the shrimp with black spots and pink meat.
Another thing to watch out for is the shell color smell. If the color is yellow, that means the shrimp has been bleached. Again if there’s some ammonia or bleach smell from the shrimp, do not buy it.
When purchasing cooked shrimp make sure that, they are cooked on the same day. If you see the cooked shrimp alongside raw fish or shellfish, do not buy the shrimp because there is a good chance of bacteria migration from raw meat to cooked meat.
Storing Shrimp
If you are buying uncooked shrimp, they can be stored like fish; but should be cooked on the same day. When purchasing frozen shrimp choose solidly frozen shrimp so that they will stay frozen until they are kept in the freezer. Try to freeze cooked, shelled and deveined shrimp in airtight packaging. Most shrimp can be kept frozen for nearly two months.
Preparing Shrimp
Preparing processed (peeled and deveined) shrimp is much easier and less time consuming to cook. However, processed white shrimp will cost you more than raw and unprocessed shrimp. If you know how to peel and process the shrimp yourself, then it’s really not that difficult.
There are numerous ways to prepare shrimp recipes. While cooking any shrimp recipe it’s important to heat them thoroughly to kill the harmful substances and organisms; but make sure that the excessive heat does not kill the flavor of the flesh.
Different kinds of shrimp recipes are out there like boiled, baked, grilled, microwaved, poached, steamed, fried and sautéed. You can follow each of the recipes and prepare them on your own with extra spices and flavors.
Christopher Luis
