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To Boil Shrimps

A method for boiling large shrimps in salted water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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To Boil Shrimps

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Pick out the large shrimps and discard the smaller ones.

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

  3. Remove any scum that forms on the surface.

Cook and serve

  1. Add the shrimps to the boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

  2. Pour the shrimps into a colander to drain.

  3. Spread them on a soft cloth to cool or serve them 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

Large shrimps
Provide the main protein, which firms and turns opaque when cooked in boiling water.
Coarse sea salt
Seasons the cooking water so the shrimp are flavoured as they cook.

The step that matters

Cooking the shrimp for 4 to 5 minutes. Shrimp turn firm and opaque within minutes, and overcooking makes the flesh tough and rubbery. Pull them as soon as they are fully pink and opaque.

“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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