Guinea Pigs in the Kitchen: Summer of Shrimp

   In the order of foods that are simple to cook, there are vegetables, pasta, and shrimp. If you want to test your culinary skills, especially in regards to flavor combinations, pasta and shrimp are definitely bland enough to stand as that structural base at the center of the meal, or to serve as a finer element in a larger setting; and while certain vegetables can be used likely, many find themselves imparting the flavor and/or vibrancy to a dish.
   I talked about this before, but I'll repeat it here because this is the model post for all things shrimp. When purchasing raw shrimp, there are several avenues to choose from: farmed/wild, whole, peeled, cleaned—not to mention all of the sizes available. But, by far, the most talked about decision only makes sense in theory.

Fresh or Frozen?

   Fresh seafood doesn't get fresher than catching it yourself, especially when considering commercially available items. That is why, particularly seen in the case of shrimp, "frozen at sea" is common practice. So common, that the supermarket display will either label shrimp as "never frozen" or they won't tell you because they're ashamed to say it was frozen but is now thawed. If you're purchasing the thawed variety, it makes little sense to put them back in the freezer when you get home. But personally, if the choice is between "never frozen" and specifically "flash-frozen," I choose the latter, because it is actually the fresher.
   The science of flash freezing was discovered, researched, and reinvented time and time again by a man named Clarence Birdseye II. The company which bears his name—Birds Eye—has been on the market for nearly a century utilizing his patented techniques which he initially applied to the seafood industry and later moved onto other meats and produce. What Birdseye realized was that fish frozen, not only immediately after being caught, but more importantly in a quick fashion tasted fresher than conventionally (at that time) frozen fish.
   Thirty years after its conception, the term "cryogenics" would refer to the process of applying temperatures well below 0 degrees Centigrade. I bring that up in case it helps in understanding just how fresh we're talking. It's not how soon something is frozen; it's how fast. And if you cringe to consider comparing a fresh cut of meat or fish with its frozen counterpart, it's because you're all too familiar with those conventional freezing methods, and the texture of such foods once they are thawed.
   When food freezes, ice crystals form around 0 degrees C and continue to grow at a rate relative to that of heat removal. Various foods freeze at different temperatures due to salt content, fat content, etc. The longer it takes to totally freeze something, the more time ice crystals have for growth, and larger crystals cause more damage to a food's integrity. Thawed foods that were frozen at a slow rate are noticeably mushy, bleached of flavor, etc., for this reason. For a bit of perspective, the concluding paragraphs of this article explain that shrimp in an industrial plate freezer at -35 degrees C takes 50 minutes to become optimally frozen, while shrimp treated with liquid nitrogen at -80 degrees C takes only 5 minutes to reach the same end. And that's just for shrimp; a 90 % drop in time is about par for other seafood tested.
   Flash freezing stops the clock on decay quicker than air-blast, belt freezers, and plate freezers, and that without ruining the texture of the product. Fresh foods keep the clock ticking until it's time to cook. And while fresh produce may be better than frozen, flash-frozen seafood is definitely above the rest.

Bubba was Right

   "Shrimp is the fruit of the sea." Bubba listed 21 ways to prepare shrimp, and while I'm sure there're more, I haven't scratched the surface with my trials. Shrimp are delicate in flavor and texture. They're modest enough to receive only a spritz of lemon, or to be dipped in a mix of ketchup and horseradish. But they can stand up to much hardier seasonings, and that is a truth which continually sparks new ideas whenever I consider cooking shrimp for a meal.

November 14, 2014 - Shrimp, Scallops and Pan-fried Linguine

   This marked the first time I cooked shrimp. I don't know if you can tell, but their shells are still on. Yes, I prefer shell-on shrimp, but don't worry: they're deveined. However, leaving the shells on for a sauté is probably the biggest faux pas in cooking shrimp. It's like seasoning a burger on a grill without removing the wax paper. I cried manly tears as I peeled the delicious chitinous wrappings from their overcooked muscles.
   For that first try, I kept it simple with salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh onions and [old] bay leaves. The pan probably started with oil and ended with white cooking wine, and after all that effort, the frozen spinach ended up the best part of the meal. But, you win some, you lose some. I can tell you this: I never forgot to peel them again.
   In addition to their downright versatility, shrimp are very easy to overcook, which in my book means they're easy to cook, period. As you'll see following, raw shrimp have a much different color from cooked shrimp (those above are near done). Raw shrimp are also translucent, like many fish, and they turn opaque when fully cooked. These visual cues are very important when judging how long to cook shrimp. Overcooked shrimp will not only be noticeably tough and/or chewy, but you'll also be able to tell just by looking at them.

Pot Ramen

   This is it: the meal I've been alluding to since October. You remember. I broke into my frozen reserves to make broth for the first time, and was so dedicated to my work that I strained it using paper towels. Well, they'll make another cameo here, soaking up the water from thawed, peeled shrimp as their shells moved on to give flavor to my gumbo base.