# boiled shrimp question



## daddyhoney (Dec 4, 2006)

Mother's day I boiled some fresh jumbo shrimp and as soon as they floated and were pink, I put them on ice to stop the cooking process. They tasted great but were hard to get the shell off. What is the reason for this? Thanks GG


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## deano77511 (Feb 2, 2005)

What I do is get a bowl of ice and poor some of your seasoned water into it . After you boil them put them in the ice bath to soak a while . 


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

If the shells were 'shrink wrapped' onto the body, you cooked them too long.

How long were they in the water?

When I was doing shrimp boils on a more regular basis, I used headless shrimp that were defrosted but still cool. Water was at a roaring boil, dump them in with burner still full throttle, waited a couple (~1-2) of minutes and then shut her down. Soaked approx 5min maximum with lid off to help cool things a bit.

You will know pretty quickly if there were cooked too long. Cooked right = peels easy.

I could be a little bit off on the times, but probably not by much.


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## daddyhoney (Dec 4, 2006)

Thanks guys, just what I needed to know.


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

Just another note...

For these boils, you had to have your water REALLY seasoned in order for the flavors to infuse during the short soak time...Burned my nose during inhales.

Sure made for some good meals with potatoes and sausage (of course, both were cooked prior to adding the trout bait).


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

When done cooking, I put ice in plastic bags, and drop in the seasoned water. It cools the water fast, and lets them soak in the seasoning, without cooking any more. Soak as long as you like, without the ice diluting the seasoned water!

Later
R3F


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## Wado (May 15, 2011)

*IQF Skrimps*

The majority of shrimp are now frozen on Gulf Boats or at processing plants. The old days of ice boats are long gone unless you get them from a Bay Shrimper and they will or should be the freshest you can get if they take care of them. Pond shrimp usually go straight to the plant to be headed or frozen head on and are iced in a slurry of water and ice. At least the ones I have been to in Texas are handled this way, I can't say for foreign shrimp, yucch! IQF means individually quick frozen and the method is a brine solution consisting of salt, sodium metabisulfite, and some kind of gelatin that is in a refrigerated tank that is at or below zero degrees F. The shrimp are bagged in onion sacks and immersed into the solution and quick frozen, it only takes seconds for about forty pounds to be as hard as a rock. If they are on a boat they are stored in blast freezers and has to be the correct temperature or you could lose the entire load. Get a hot spot and they thaw and too cold causes lots of breakage and dehydration. Once off the boats they can either be thawed and headed or if they are tails thawed and graded and repackaged and frozen again, either brine or a nitrogen tunnel or block frozen in water. Some wholesalers keep them in the bags right off the boats until they have a sale for them. Again the storage is critical to keep from drying them out and staying frozen.

So what this means is when you buy shrimp at HEB or where ever it has been frozen maybe twice unless they say fresh caught never frozen which I doubt unless it is at a dockside market, or straight off of a boat. Sometimes IQF shrimp just refuse to peel, especially the boiled ones. This sometimes indicates they were left in the brine tank too long or the shrimp might have just come off of a shed or molt. The best thing to do is re hydrate shrimp when you buy them. Soak them several hours in clean water and ice after a good rinsing to get any of the brine solution off if there is any. You didn't do anything wrong the way you cooked them it's just the shrimp and how they are handled. I usually drop them in boiling water and when it comes back to a hard boil that's it. I pull some out and look to see if the shell is separated from the body and you can see water inside the shell. If they taste fishy they may need a few more seconds in the boiling water, might be more of a smell than taste.


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

As said don't over cook. Drop in very hard boiling over seasoned pot, get back to bubbling boil then turn the fire off and cover for five minutes. Pull out, dust and chill or eat them hot. Easiest most no brainer way to get them to peel easy everytime is drop 2 sticks of butter in and stir after turning off the heat and lidding. Shells will slide off like nothing. Works great with crawfish as well.


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## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

sotexhookset said:


> As said don't over cook. Drop in very hard boiling over seasoned pot, get back to bubbling boil then turn the fire off and cover for five minutes. Pull out, dust and chill or eat them hot. Easiest most no brainer way to get them to peel easy everytime is drop 2 sticks of butter in and stir after turning off the heat and lidding. Shells will slide off like nothing. Works great with crawfish as well.


Great advice. Butter has worked great for me as well.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

Butter and/or a bottle of Italian dressing.


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## geneaustin (Jun 17, 2014)

daddyhoney said:


> Mother's day I boiled some fresh jumbo shrimp and as soon as they floated and were pink, I put them on ice to stop the cooking process. They tasted great but were hard to get the shell off. What is the reason for this? Thanks GG


 Key word is "FRESH"

Fresh shrimp will be hard to peel no matter how you cook them. Buy the shrimp and leave in the refigerator or on ice 2-3 days, then boil them. Shells slip right off.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

When shrimps are cooked, Put ice in the pot with shrimp and juice to SHOCK in the flavor.


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## pknight6 (Nov 8, 2014)

V-Bottom said:


> When shrimps are cooked, Put ice in the pot with shrimp and juice to SHOCK in the flavor.


Yeah, I put in ice to stop them cooking, but still soak up flavor.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

mix up whatever you want for seasoning in the boil and get it going to a good boil , i add lemon juice . don't go crazy with gallons of water, enough to cover by an inch or 2 is plenty.

next, wash the shrimp well to get the treatments off, and yes they all use it now.


now drop shrimp into boiling water and let it come back to a boil , should be less than 2 mins and take it off heat.

Use a strainer basket then put in a cooler on top of ice or the frig. to drop the temp. , don't fresh rinse or water bath it.

It will be way plenty done.


The treatment makes the shells stick it is to prevent black spot and spoilage.
They are supposed to measure out a given ratio for water dip tank, but most just dust it over the shrimp in the baskets...........way too much.

You will notice if you ever get dock fresh shrimp and they are "sandy" ......


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## Flippin' Crazee (May 14, 2015)

overcooked


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## Merc (Jun 28, 2012)

Are they white shrimp?

According to Cathy it matters. The whites are just a pain to peel, the brown are easier.


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

Only fresh and not farm fresh. I add season/boil , little apple-cider vinegar and lemon juice and dont cook more than 2 # at a time. After a few float out they come. Put them in a strainer and top with ice and put in fridge 

Easy peel warm or cold


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## Saltwater Sass (Jul 26, 2016)

Butter and some Olive oil will help them peel easier


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## Kenner18V (Aug 20, 2009)

Wado said:


> The majority of shrimp are now frozen on Gulf Boats or at processing plants. The old days of ice boats are long gone unless you get them from a Bay Shrimper and they will or should be the freshest you can get if they take care of them. Pond shrimp usually go straight to the plant to be headed or frozen head on and are iced in a slurry of water and ice. At least the ones I have been to in Texas are handled this way, I can't say for foreign shrimp, yucch! IQF means individually quick frozen and the method is a brine solution consisting of salt, sodium metabisulfite, and some kind of gelatin that is in a refrigerated tank that is at or below zero degrees F. The shrimp are bagged in onion sacks and immersed into the solution and quick frozen, it only takes seconds for about forty pounds to be as hard as a rock. If they are on a boat they are stored in blast freezers and has to be the correct temperature or you could lose the entire load. Get a hot spot and they thaw and too cold causes lots of breakage and dehydration. Once off the boats they can either be thawed and headed or if they are tails thawed and graded and repackaged and frozen again, either brine or a nitrogen tunnel or block frozen in water. Some wholesalers keep them in the bags right off the boats until they have a sale for them. Again the storage is critical to keep from drying them out and staying frozen.
> 
> So what this means is when you buy shrimp at HEB or where ever it has been frozen maybe twice unless they say fresh caught never frozen which I doubt unless it is at a dockside market, or straight off of a boat. Sometimes IQF shrimp just refuse to peel, especially the boiled ones. This sometimes indicates they were left in the brine tank too long or the shrimp might have just come off of a shed or molt. The best thing to do is re hydrate shrimp when you buy them. Soak them several hours in clean water and ice after a good rinsing to get any of the brine solution off if there is any. You didn't do anything wrong the way you cooked them it's just the shrimp and how they are handled. I usually drop them in boiling water and when it comes back to a hard boil that's it. I pull some out and look to see if the shell is separated from the body and you can see water inside the shell. If they taste fishy they may need a few more seconds in the boiling water, might be more of a smell than taste.


I boil tons of shrimp for catering and this is spot on, could not have said it any better.


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## mjz (Jan 11, 2008)

I'm lucky to be able to get them fresh off the boat, so pretty much what others have said.

I also add a little vinegar to the boil.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

I don't start with boiling water, not necessary for shrimp. Add shrimp to seasoned water, add the heat and stop as soon as 2 or 3 shrimp float to the top. Does not matter if the water ever boils. You do need to stir them now and then. I pull the basket and dump the shrimp in a pot with ice and then pour enough of the cooking liquid to cover the shrimp and ice. I'll add a ltlle more swamp dust if folks want them spicy. Always easy to peel and never overdone.


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## larr (Jun 21, 2016)

JFolm said:


> Butter and/or a bottle of Italian dressing.


Peel them first! The shrimp soak up the flavors and are ready to eat!


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## bbuchanan1 (Jul 11, 2016)

I boil mine in water and butter only. When I see shell start to rise off of shrimp (usually around 2 minutes) I turn off heat, add seasoning, then add ice to stop cooking process. Soak at least 10 minutes. The longer they soak the more seasoning will be infused.


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## DA REEL DADDY (Jun 7, 2005)

My friend made some for us not too long ago. All he did was boil them in half water and half beer. He boiled the red potatoes, sausage, garlic in seasoned water but, water and beer only for the shrimp.


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## old 37 (Nov 30, 2014)

We never boil shrimp anymore, pat them dry, spread them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle seasoning on them and roast them. I know, you think the seasoning doesn't penetrate but all I know it's good. We use that all purpose seasoning Chupacabra on everything including veggies.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Re-read this post again and gotta say I got some cotton-pickin good ideas.The butter and olive oil trick sounds cool.


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