Poaching Liquid For Shrimp Recipes

HOW TO POACH SHRIMP

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine shrimp, cold water, lemon juice, lemon halves, dill sprigs, parsley sprigs, sugar, whole peppercorns and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until pink and firm to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, cover, and let shrimp sit in broth for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice water. Drain shrimp and discard lemon halves, herbs, and spices.
• Immediately plunge shrimp into ice water until chilled, about 3 minutes. Remove from ice water and pat dry with paper towels. Use in recipes such as shrimp salad, pasta, salad, etc.

POACHING LIQUID FOR SHRIMP

Steps:

• Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the white wine, salt, peppercorns, parsley stems, if using, thyme, bay leaves, shallots and garlic. Bring back to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook just until opaque and pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from the liquid and shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Serve chilled.

POACHED SHRIMP

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with about a 1/2 gallon of water, add the salt and squeeze in the lemon juice; toss the halves in there too for extra flavor. Add the herbs and seafood seasoning. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the water with the aromatics.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add shrimp. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the shrimp are bright pink and the tails curl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the poaching liquid and chill thoroughly before peeling. Serve with lemon wedges and Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce as part of a raw shellfish bar.
• Combine the tomatoes, celery, and onion in a blender and puree to break the vegetables down. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Chill before serving with a raw bar.

COLD POACHED SHRIMP

Steps:

• Put the shrimp in a saucepan with water to cover and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat; let the shrimp cool in the water for about 5 minutes, then rinse in cold water until cool. Peel and devein if you like. Serve with sauce or chill until ready to serve.
• Almost all Shrimp are frozen before sale. So unless you're in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
• There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium don't mean much. Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do. Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound. Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
• On deveining: I don't. You can, if you like, but it's a thankless task, and there isn't one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.

CHEF JOHN'S SHRIMP COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Stir water, onion, lemon, garlic, tarragon, seafood seasoning, peppercorns, and bay leaf together in a large pot; bring to a simmer and cook until flavors blend, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk ketchup, chili sauce, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and salt together in a bowl; refrigerate until chilled, at least 15 minutes.
• Bring poaching liquid to a rapid boil. Cook the shrimp in the boiling liquid until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl of ice water and immerse in ice water until cold; drain. Arrange cold shrimp on a platter and serve with chilled sauce.