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Almost every one of us knows that shrimp officially falls under the category of seafood. Shrimp has gained some popularity all around the world for its delicious taste and texture. The cooking technique is the most important thing when it comes to the cooking of shrimp. This article will be targeting the question of how to know if shrimp is cooked.
The first recorded instance of people considering shrimp as a food item occurred in South Africa. The Internet has connected people, enabling us to gain knowledge about the cuisines of multiple countries.
Shrimp is a seafood and of course, because we obtain it from the sea itself like fishes and other seafood. It has a greyishly transparent body and it is a very good source of protein. People who live near water bodies or visit beaches way too often mostly love shrimp.
We can’t say that we can make only one particular dish using shrimp because we can prepare a lot of different and fun recipes using shrimp. Every country uses the same ingredients in different ways to form a new dish. It is rich in many health-beneficial properties but it can be a little tricky to cook shrimp perfectly.
In this article, we will try to cover every fact about shrimp and its nutritive value. We will also try to give you the correct knowledge about the difference between cooked and overcooked shrimp. We will also learn some easy recipes that will include shrimp in them. This article will also tell you about the harmful effects it can cause if we eat overcooked shrimp or raw shrimp.
1. What Is Shrimp?
Shrimp has come under the category of seafood for decades now. We can have shrimp at any place around the world. It is one of the most famous seafood under the category of seafood. Almost every cafe, and restaurant serves it but it might be a little expensive at a few places.
People often prefer to eat shrimp in hotels or restaurants etc. It needs a proper technique along with enough knowledge to cook it perfectly at home.
If we leave it undercooked then it can taste bad and cause you some issues related to your stomach. The overcooked shrimp is also bad to consume because it can cause food poisoning.
People often become confused between shrimp and prawn, even though both belong to the category of seafood; they are entirely different. They can be identical but it is important to note that shrimp has fewer legs in comparison to the prawn.
2. What Is The Correct Technique To Cook Shrimp?
There is no particular way to cook seafood and we can use any method that suits us. We should keep one thing in mind we also have to avoid cooking shrimp on high flame. This thing cook the shrimp from the outside but they will be raw from the inside and that can cause problem for our bodies.
It will be the best cooking technique if we steam the shrimp. This will cook the shrimp perfectly and preserve its delicious taste inside it. We can use other ways to cook shrimp too as long as stay careful.
Sauteing can be a really good technique to cook shrimp. When we cook it this way we have to wait until they turn pink in color because this is a sign to indicate that it is perfectly cooked. After the cooking technique, we should talk about the nutritive value of shrimp.
There is one more thing to keep in mind while dealing with shrimp. The raw shrimp is chewy if we will try to eat it as it is. The overcooked shrimp also gets a chewy texture and we will never be able to chew it properly and swallow it.
3. Nutritive Value In Shrimp
The people who work every day or try to follow a healthy diet may always know the nutritive value of different items. The shrimp is a very rich source of protein and it can fulfill the major part of our daily protein requirements.
Not only protein but it is a great source of fat too along with many more important elements. It also provides our body with a particular amount of vitamin B along with many other micronutrients.
When it comes to the question of whether we can eat it every day or we should eat it occasionally only. Now the answer to this question would be that it is 100 percent safe to eat shrimp every day. People who live their whole life near some water body eventually grow the habit of eating seafood every day and it includes shrimp too.
Seafood is completely safe if we combine it with some vegetables to get the other nutrients too. Now that we have talked about the nutritive values of shrimp too then we should talk a little about the difference between small shrimp and large shrimp.
4. Difference Between Small Shrimp And Large Shrimp
When it comes to the size of the shrimp a lot of people struggle to choose the correct size. Shrimp is available in many different sizes and they weigh from small to jumbo sized in the market. It is important to note that the size of the shrimp depends on the individual market. The mode used to measure shrimp can also differ from country to country.
Now the question is which size of shrimp is best to get. When we are spending money on something we always try to get the best thing and to enjoy it to the maximum. According to a lot of people and food places, it is best to use the small shrimp because they are a little sweet and tender.
This makes the shrimp taste better and enhances its flavour when mixed with many different spices. If we use large-sized shrimp it can feel a little tasteless and it will not be too tender. The large shrimp also don’t absorb the species in all the different dishes.
We can also use medium-sized shrimp because some dishes don’t want both large or small shrimp but something in between. If we have the proper knowledge then we can create a lot of new dishes that include shrimp along with other items.
5. How To Know If Shrimp Is Cooked
Now we can see everywhere that this question of how to know if shrimp is cooked always stays attached to the idea of cooking shrimp. This part of the article will completely focus on the correct way to cook shrimp. We will also tell you some different ways to detect if shrimp is cooked or if it will take some more time.
5.01 By The Appearance
Well, we all know that shrimp is gray and transparent when it is raw. When we cook shrimp they tend to change their appearance which is easy to detect. Shrimps are transparent multi-legged sea creatures and we can find them in any water body like the sea or ocean.
Now when we are cooking shrimp in a pan we can easily see it and it gets easy to tell if they are ready to eat yet or not. The raw shrimp is kind of straight in shape but when we cook them they curl inwards. The shrimp also turn pink in colour while being cooked in any utensil.
Now is the chance to observe if the shrimp is cooked or needs to cook for a little longer. If the shrimp turns opaque in appearance it is safe to say they are cooked. We also have to check the curl of the shrimp. When the shrimp is curled in the shape of C then we can understand that the shrimp is perfectly cooked. If the shrimp curls and forms a shape similar to O then it depicts that the shrimp is overcooked.
5.02 By Observing The Texture
When you are cooking shrimp it is important to know if the shrimp is cooked yet or needs to be cooked for a longer time. If we eat raw shrimp it can cause many stomach issues and overcooked shrimp can cause food poisoning. It can be a little dangerous for our health.
This is another method to know if the shrimp is cooked yet or not. We should observe the texture of the shrimp to know if it is ready to eat. If you observe oil when you put them into the pan, that means they need to cook for a little longer.
When the shrimp leave the oil and curl in the shape of a C that indicates it is ready to eat. Even after this, we should try to check it by the spatula. If it takes its previous shape back then it means it is cooked from the outside. But this also indicates that the shrimp is still raw from the inside and we should cook the by closing the lid for a few minutes. Now you can check it and serve it beautifully.
5.03 The Taste Test
This is the easiest and most convenient way to know whether the shrimp is cooked yet or not. After checking the colour of the shrimp along with its shape we can follow this method.
The colour of the cooked shrimp be pink in color. If you observe that everything is fine but you are still not satisfied then you should taste the shrimp.
If the texture of the shrimp feels like it is difficult to cut through it with our teeth then it means we need to cook it more. When the outer layer feels fine but the inner part of the shrimp feels fleshy that means it’s slightly raw.
When we go out to eat in a restaurant or cafe in their kitchen we see that they even though they are professionals still choose to taste before serving anything. This can help them to provide us with their best service and make our day better.
5.04 Temperature
There is always a professional way to check something while cooking any dish. There are thermometers available in the market to check the temperature of different food items. We can’t cook everything at the same temperature so we need a guide a do it the correct way. If we will try we can easily understand which temperature is best to cook shrimp.
We would suggest that everyone should cook shrimp from low to medium flame only. The heat on the high flame can burn it from the outside without cooking it from the inside. Now we have almost covered everything related to the shrimp. We should also discuss some of the possible risks of eating the shrimp. We will also be discussing a few recipes including the shrimp in it.
Some Of The Possible Risks Of Eating Shrimp
The shrimp can be delicious to eat but there are possible risks of eating shrimp. Some people can be allergic to seafood, particularly in this case it can even kill them. These people should get tested first to know that they are allergic too.
If we do not cook the shrimp completely they will be a little raw from inside. In this case, you are prone to get food poisoning because shrimp has some bacteria in it. When we cook something completely it kills the bacteria present in it.
6. Some Recipes Including Shrimp
There are many dishes all around the world that have shrimp in them. This part will discuss some of the many interesting recipes including shrimp.
6.01 Shrimp Fried Rice
If you love to eat seafood and fried rice at the same time then try to combine them in a single plate. Let’s start with the recipe. First, take some small-sized shrimp clean them put some oil in a pan, and let it heat up. Add the shrimp to the pan to stir fry it.
Wait until it’s completely cooked. Check it by seeing its color and it should be pink. After this take them out on a plate and put some more oil in the pan. Now add the minced garlic in it and let it cook for some time.
At this stage, you can add an egg to the pan because it is the main ingredient in the recipe for fried rice. Now add vegetables like carrots, beans, and peas along with some red chilli powder and salt it. Take it and cook for some time with the closed lid.
Now add one bowl of cooked rice to the pan and stir fry it on high flame. This is the time to add soy sauce and vinegar to the pan with the cooked shrimp. Cook it on high flame only for some time and serve it when it is still hot. You can garnish it with some herbs on top of it. It is advisable to serve it on a round plate to make it attractive.
6.02 The Shrimp Pasta
We can find a lot of recipes to make pasta but if you want to add something interesting to it then you can choose the shrimp. It tastes really good when cooked correctly. Shrimp can also be a great source of protein in your diet. Now let’s talk about the recipe to make this pasta.
Start by boiling the pasta. Please note that you can use any kind of pasta but penny pasta would be a great choice. You should boil it for 10 to 12 minutes approximately. Now take out a pan add some oil in it and put the shrimp in it. Cook it with continuous stirring until it turns in the shape of C.
It’s time to take the shrimp out of the pan and add milk with some heavy cream and cheddar cheese in it. Cook it until it takes a creamy texture and now you can add your preferred spices to it.
Now is the time to put the pasta and cooked shrimp into the pan, mix it well, and close the lid. Cook it for some time and serve it. You can also add some spinach to it to include some colours.
7. Final Note
In this article, we talked about shrimp a kind of seafood that has a gray color. It has multiple legs and it is completely different from prawns.
Although they both fall under the category of seafood. We learned the difference between the size of the shrimp. The small shrimp tastes sweet and tender and large shrimp can take more time to cook but it will still not taste that good.
There are many different ways to know if the shrimp is cooked or not. They take a shape similar to C if they are perfectly cooked. The colour also changes to pink while cooking. Eating raw or half-cooked shrimp can pose a significant risk of causing food poisoning. It can hospitalize it so we should always be careful while eating the shrimp.
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