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To Boil Shrimps or Prawns

Boil shrimp and prawns in salted water until cooked, then cool or serve hot.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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To Boil Shrimps or Prawns

Ingredients

Directions

Boil

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a fast boil and add the salt.

  2. Add the shrimps and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, or less if they are very small.

  3. Add the prawns and boil for about 6 to 8 minutes.

  4. Remove from heat and drain in a colander.

Cool and serve

  1. Spread the shrimps and prawns on a soft cloth to cool or serve hot on a napkin.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Coarse sea salt
Seasons the boiling water so the shrimp and prawns take on flavour as they cook.

The step that matters

Adding the shrimp and prawns in order. Shrimp are smaller and cook faster than prawns, so adding them at different times keeps each one from overcooking while the other finishes. Overcooked shellfish turns rubbery because its proteins tighten when heated too long.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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