Published: October 2, 2013
Eat
Shrimp Is Having Its 15 Minutes
By MARK BITTMAN
Shrimp is now the most popular seafood in America, and there is no wrong way to eat it. Wild shrimp from the Pacific or the Gulf of Mexico is a treat if you can find it. Fresh local shrimp from Maine or the Carolinas is an even rarer gem. (These are all preferable from a sustainability perspective.) A vast majority, of course, is farmed and frozen, but you might as well buy it frozen and thaw it yourself to get the freshest shrimp possible. If you buy it ‘‘individually quick frozen’’ in resealable bags, you can take out only as many as you want and thaw them by leaving the shrimp in the fridge for 24 hours or running them under cool water for an hour or less.
Shrimp is also the most versatile seafood. Peeled shrimp certainly wins the prize for convenience, but shells give you a shot at one of the choicest byproducts in all of cooking: shrimp stock. Cover the shells with water, simmer for 10 minutes and strain. Refrigerate or freeze, then use for risotto, seafood stews or bisques.
Peeling shells for stock is a much better use of your time than deveining, which is a complete waste of energy. (For those who find this a repulsive statement: make a shallow cut on the back side of each shrimp with a paring knife, and pull out the black, threadlike vein. But seriously, use the time for something else.)
The 12 fast recipes included here are just a sampling of the possibilities. Incredibly, the cooking time for each of these is less than 15 minutes. For the most part, the shrimp will tell you when they’re done. Certainly they’re ready once they’re pink, though very large shrimp may need an extra minute to cook through. To check, slice one in half; if it’s opaque, or even nearly so, season to taste and start eating.