Shrimps are one of the healthier foods around and a tasty one indeed. It helps increase one's HDL, which would be the good cholesterol, and has a moderate amount of omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to lower the risks of heart diseases. Apart from that, it is also high in protein and other nutrients like iron and selenium, so for its price, they make a great choice of food. Other benefits of shrimps is that they can reduce the risks of cancer, anemia, stroke, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease, can boost your mood, and promote healthier immune system, brains, gums, and teeth. However, eating an undercooked shrimp can become a problem as well, in which you can get food poisoning. Hence, it is important that you cook your shrimps properly.
One thing to know is that prawns can be kept fresh by keeping them frozen. Unlike what people think, shrimps bought from the grocery store is not any fresher, they have indeed been bought from the fishmonger that had left them thawed at their display sets. This does not make them fresher then shrimps that have been frozen and packaged right away. Nevertheless, if you do buy loose shrimps from the store, you should freeze them right away. How to cook frozen shrimp properly begins from the thawing process, which cannot be simply done.
In order to thaw frozen shrimps, you should begin by emptying the shrimps into a tightly-sealed waterproof bag, and then put it into a sink filled with cold tap water. By doing so, you will be able to thaw the shrimps within an hour. It is important that you do not thaw the prawns at room temperature because this can cause bacteria to contaminate the shrimps. When properly thawed, the shrimp will be easier to cook properly all the way through. If the shrimp gives out a mushy or ammonia smell, you will need to discard them. Properly-frozen shrimps usually will not have that smell.
You can choose to peel the skin before or after cooking, but whichever you choose, peeling off the skin is easy. Peel off the skin by holding on to the bottom of its little feet, and then pull it up towards the head. The rest of the skin, other than its tail, will be able to peel off easily. Then, you can pull off the tip of the tail, which will expose a little meat as well. Likewise, you can devein the shrimp or not, where deveining simply requires tracing along the black vein on the back of the shrimp with a sharp thin knife, and then wash it off. Where cooking is concerned, you can cook them in whichever method you like, such as grilling or boiling. Once you know how to cook frozen shrimp properly, the shrimps will turn out firmer, and definitely taste much fresher.