By Genevieve Ko, The New York Times
My cousins and I used to dare one another to touch the shrimp, their 10 legs dancing, their antennae waving. At the Chinese seafood restaurants near us in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, the servers would bring our orders, still alive, to the table for approval before taking them into the kitchen. In Cantonese cuisine, feisty fish and crustaceans are prized for their delicate freshness.
The best shrimp would be gently boiled whole and served with a soy dipping sauce laced with hot chiles. Their heads had a sweet sea-saltiness, and their bodies were somehow snappy and silky at the same time. Anyone who’s lived in a coastal area with access to shrimp so fresh it’s still flipping knows this pleasure.
Without access to live shrimp, the next best option is actually frozen. When thawed properly, then tossed with crisp-tender asparagus and sweet onion in this stir-fry, they taste pretty great. Here are four simple steps to making frozen shrimp end up as bouncy and flavorful as their counterparts fresh out of the water.
Buy the right shrimp.
Out of the water, shrimp, especially ones with their heads on, deteriorate quickly, so headless ones flash frozen at or close to the source best retain their integrity. (The “fresh” shrimp at most seafood counters most likely arrived frozen, and you don’t know when or how it was thawed or, worse, refrozen and thawed again.)
Consider sustainability and labor practices, and consult Seafood Watch before heading to the store. Some shrimp are treated with preservatives, so the ideal packages of frozen list “shrimp” as the only ingredient. Shell-on shrimp are more flavorful and less expensive, but also require more work on your part. Peeled and deveined shrimp cost a bit more and may not be quite as intact, but save you time. You know your priorities. Pick accordingly.
Thaw shrimp quickly.
Because shrimp are so small, they don’t need much time to defrost. If you let frozen shrimp lose their chill in the refrigerator, you’ll need to plan ahead, and you also won’t know exactly when they’ll be ready. The fastest way to thaw shrimp also gives you the most control over the process. Put them in a colander in the sink and run cold water (definitely not warm or hot) over them. Move them around a bit to ensure an even shower, and they’ll lose their rock-hard iciness in a few minutes.
Dry brine shrimp to make them juicier and firmer.
Just before the shrimp are thawed all the way through, very generously sprinkle them with a lot of salt — about a teaspoon per pound — and gently massage it into the shrimp. (A brine is a saltwater solution, while a dry brine is just salt.) Because the shrimp are so small, it takes only a minute to see the salt drawing moisture out of the shrimp, then dissolving on the surface into a concentrated brine, which then is reabsorbed. The brine now inside the shrimp seasons them and helps them stay juicy while cooking, while the initial release of water from the salt rub will result in a texture reminiscent of freshly cooked live shrimp. Anything left on the surface is rinsed off to prevent the shrimp from being too salty. If the shrimp are going to be stir-fried, grilled or broiled, they should be patted very dry before cooking to help them brown rather than steam. If steaming or poaching, you can skip that step.
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Some Cantonese cooks also toss the shrimp with baking soda to give them crunch. Salt does a good enough job, and baking soda can leave a hint of a soapy aftertaste.
Cook shrimp just until they’re opaque.
For the best-tasting shrimp, cook them until they’re just opaque though the middle. Leave them on the heat any longer, and they’ll end up dry and tough. Some shrimp varieties don’t turn pink or orange when cooked, and some curl into tight spirals while others barely form a crescent when heated, so the best indicator is the shift from translucence to opacity. If you’re in doubt, take the shrimp off the heat early and cut a slice off the thick end to see the middle. You can always cook the crustaceans longer, but you can’t turn back time.
I still seek out wriggling, leaping live shrimp when I can, but when I can’t, I’m happy to have a stash in my freezer. They may be stiff and still, but prepping them with these simple steps will make them taste nearly as fresh.
Recipe: Quick Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry
By Genevieve Ko
Savory and a little sweet, this light dinner tastes like spring but can be made any time of year — and any night of the week if you keep a stash of shrimp in your freezer. By quickly thawing them under running water, then dry-brining them with salt for a minute, you end up with juicier, snappier shrimp that taste incredibly fresh. Asparagus spears also cook fast until they’re as crisp-tender as the shrimp. By slicing them at a sharp angle, you reduce any stringiness in the stalks. For a spicy stir-fry, use the chile and keep the seeds in. For a little less heat, remove the seeds after slicing. Stirring a final pat of butter into the sauce, which is sweetened with onion and salty with soy, binds together all of the ingredients with a touch of richness. Serve over rice to sop up that sauce or over tender, leafy greens for a warm salad.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound peeled and deveined frozen shrimp (16-to-20-count; see Tip)
Salt
Canola or grapeseed oil
1 sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small red hot chile, thinly sliced (seeds removed for a milder heat)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut at a sharp angle into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter
Preparation
1. Rinse the shrimp in a colander under running cold water until no longer rock hard, 3 to 4 minutes. Very generously sprinkle with salt and toss in the colander. Let stand for 1 minute, then rinse well. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom, then add the onion, garlic and chile. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring, until the onion starts to turn translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until curled more tightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the asparagus, soy sauce and sugar, and cook, stirring, until the asparagus are just tender, 1 to 3 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Serve immediately.
Tip
If using shell-on shrimp, start with 1 1/4 pounds. If you can’t find a 16-to-20-count package of shrimp, go with smaller ones, such as a 21-to-30-count. (Shrimp are labeled by number of shrimp per pound, such as 16-20 or 21-30.) If using smaller shrimp, reduce the cooking time slightly.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.