Shrimp dishes are delicious and exotic. Shrimp are a great addition at the table, so in today's advice we will try to explain how to freeze and defrost shrimp.
How do you defrost shrimp?
There are many conflicting opinions today as to whether shrimp should be defrosted and no consensus has yet been reached. But here are some ways to defrost shrimp:
1. The first method is in the refrigerator. This method is considered the most efficient. If you are going to cook shrimp and they are frozen, they should be taken out of the freezer and put in the fridge at least 1 day before cooking. Put them in a deep bowl that can be tightly covered with a lid and leave them in the refrigerator for 8 hours. This is not the fastest method, but this way the shrimp retain their taste and shape.That way they still look spectacular if you decide to decorate a shrimp salad, for example.
2. The second way is in the kitchen. This way the shrimp are defrosted at room temperature. When defrosted this way, the shrimp retain all their useful properties. The only drawback is that the shrimp lose some of their flavor;
3. The third way is in the microwave. You can also defrost shrimp in the microwave, but this is not the best option, because the taste of the seafood will change, become dry and lose its flavor;
4. The fourth method is in water. This method of defrosting shrimp is considered the most effective, because it has good results. Put the shrimp in a plastic bag with a good density, which should be tied with thread, so that water does not get inside, then put them in a pot or large bowl of cold water;
How do you freeze shrimp?
1. Freezing boiled shrimp. In this case, remove the meat from the shell. Cooked shrimp last longer if peeled before freezing. Remove the shells and tails by hand and remove the shrimp's head if you did not remove it before cooking. Do not leave boiled shrimp for more than two hours without cooling them. If you can't peel all the shrimp at once, leave them in the fridge until it's time to peel them. After boiling the shrimp for 10 minutes, fill a pot with water and boil until it starts bubbling. Then, put the shrimp in and boil them for 10 minutes to remove any remaining bacteria or parts of the shell. Once the shrimp are cooked, take them out and place them on baking paper. Put them in the freezer until they become very firm, which will prevent them from sticking to each other. It's a good idea to freeze the shrimp one or two days after you've boiled them. Then put the already frozen shrimp in bags and close them tightly. When closing them, you need to take out as much air as possible before putting them in the freezer. Label the date you froze them. This way, the shrimp can last between 3 and 6 months
2. Freeze raw shrimp. Before you freeze shrimp in the freezer, you must remove the shrimp's head. This can be done with both hands and a knife. Do not remove the shells and veins of the shrimp, because during freezing, they are best preserved when they are with their shells. Do not leave raw shrimp at room temperature for more than two hours, otherwise they will spoil. You can peel them to save space, but that way they will lose their fresh taste. Wash them under running water. When they are frozen wet, this creates a layer of ice that will keep them fit for consumption for a longer time. Then put the shrimp in containers. There should not be much space between the shrimp, so that there is not much air in the container. You can put brine in the container, which is made from 2 tablespoons of salt for every liter of water. This brine is then poured in the box, by leaving a few inches on top and it is placed in the freezer. This way the frozen shrimp can last between 3 and 6 months.
And then you can prepare shrimp pasta, pan-fried shrimp, shrimp paella.
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