How to Poach Shrimp -

Your life will be changed when you start poaching shrimp. Besides grilling, this is hands down my favorite way to cook shrimp. It’s so fool-proof and you get the JUICIEST shrimp imaginable.

I love that you can get such high quality frozen shrimp. I always have frozen raw, deveined, peeled shrimp in my freezer. If I’m grilling it, I thaw the shrimp under running water for five minutes but if you’re poaching shrimp, you don’t even have to thaw it! You plunge frozen shrimp right into the still water and pop on the lid. I mean honestly, this is easier than boiling noodles!

How to Poach Shrimp, Best Way to Cook Frozen Raw Shrimp

Bring water to a boil

Turn off heat; let water stop boiling, then add frozen shrimp.

The shrimp is done when it’s pink with no grey tint left. Don’t you love that about shrimp? If only every food changed color when it’s done. It’s like shrimp came out of Oz or something.

You could add aromatics to the water if you want but I find that entirely unnecessary because I’m almost always dipping shrimp into sauce or adding it to pasta or tacos or a dish with a lot of flavor happening. Kick it up a notch by using your shrimp to make my famous Marinated Shrimp!

How to Poach Shrimp
Water
Frozen raw, deveined, peeled shrimp

Fill a pot – whatever you’d use for pasta – three-fourth full with water and season with salt. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, remove from heat and wait for the water to be still.
Add frozen shrimp. No need to thaw first! Add shrimp straight from the freezer, as many as you’d like to eat. Immediately put the lid on the pot and set the timer for 5 minutes for medium-sized shrimp. (Jumbo shrimp will take longer; salad shrimp will cook faster.) The shrimp should be pink without any grey tint when full cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and either immediately serve warm or plunge into an ice bath to chill for just a few minutes.

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