Easy-to-shell, Tasty Frozen Shrimp!
The Idées et
Marées department at your Metro supermarket brings
you easy-to-shell frozen shrimp. Prepared either as appetizer or
main course, these shrimp are always popular and ... “the
price is right.” Enjoy them anytime!
The number you see on the package indicates the number of shrimp per pound. 26/30 indicates there are 26 to 30 shrimp per pound (450 g). Consequently, the smaller the number, the larger the shrimp and vice-versa! At this size (26/30 per pound), set aside 4 shrimp per person as an appetizer or 12 for a main dish. Please note that the shrimp on sale this week at Metro are easy to shell (easy to peel) – you will see an incision along the back – and they are deveined so that the flesh can be removed easily.
Put the bag of shrimp in a bowl and place it in the refrigerator the day before they will be used. When you are ready to cook them, remove the shrimp from the bag and let them drain in a colander or simply towel-dry them. Thawed shrimp must be eaten right away! Please note that for certain modes of cooking (poached, steamed, baked, simmered), you can cook shrimp without thawing them beforehand.
Poached or steamed
Favour these two methods of cooking when shrimp must be cooked before they are added to the recipe, as in a béchamel, sauce, cream soup, salad, omelette or hors d'oeuvre. To capture as much flavour as possible, opt for a simple but flavourful cooking liquid (or court-bouillon, eg. white wine court bouillon).
Fried
When frying, coat with a light batter or coating and place in boiling oil, cooking them for 2 to 3 minutes. Here are a few long-time favourites: shrimp tempura, coriander shrimp fritters (served with soya sauce or sweet and sour sauce) as well as fritto misto (served with a tartar or a fine herb sauce).
Grilled
Shrimp go well on skewers, alternated or not with other ingredients, and cooked on the barbecue or broiled. To give them more flavour, let them marinate 30 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking or season them with fine herbs and brush them with oil while they are cooking.
Pan fried
How to resist this simple, quick method of cooking? To enhance flavour, fry them in a skillet using different oils (olive, sesame, peanut). You may also let them marinate beforehand and fry them with assorted fresh or frozen vegetables. Add shallots and ground ginger while cooking. Once sautéed, coat them in a hot sauce (coconut, peanut or marinara). Sautéed shrimp can add an original touch to fajitas and burritos.
Baked or simmered
Simmering in seafood ragoûts or starring in shrimp risotto, frittata and jambalaya (hot pepper creole rice), they will entice you. In a shrimp bisque, spicy soup or bouillabaisse, inviting aromas will fill your kitchen. In the oven, in a seafood pâté, a quiche, a puff pastry or vol-au-vent, a paella (Spanish), a seafood lasagne, coquille Saint-Jacques and omelettes, who can resist?
Sauces that impress
The Irreristibles of Merit Selection cocktail sauce for seafood and lemon quarters is delicious!
Cold sauces
Lemon butter with or without capers, onion flakes, tartar sauce, cold mango sauce, guacamole, curry sauce.