I love shrimp and 99% of the shrimp recipes you’ve seen on FoodMayhem have been made with frozen shrimp (defrosted). I use individually quick frozen, RAW shrimp. I prefer shell-on but when the store runs out, I’ll use peeled. Here’s 5 reasons why you should buy frozen shrimp.
1. Quality
This is the #1 most important fact you need to know about shrimp because there is a huge misconception out there that buying “fresh” shrimp is better. If you are in the United States, nearly all the shrimp you buy is frozen at sea and shipped to us because fresh shrimp has a very short shelf-life. When you think you are buying fresh shrimp, it is most likely just frozen shrimp that has been defrosted before being sold. When you see that shrimp at the market, it could have been defrosted for a few hours, or a day or two. If you buy frozen shrimp, you can use it at the peak of it’s quality by defrosting it just before use. Basically, most of us, even in big fancy cities, do not have access to what is truly fresh shrimp, so unless you are sure it is fresh shrimp and not just defrosted shrimp, frozen is better.
2. Cheaper
Frozen shrimp is so much cheaper. I usually buy 2 lb bags of 21/25 (see sizing explanation below) shrimp for about $11 and 31/35 shrimp for about $8 or $9 at the Chinese market. Fresh shrimp (really frozen defrosted) is about $6.99 and up per pound. The extra charge is just for defrosting it for you and the cost to them is really the waste cost from shortening the shelf-life now that they have defrosted it.
3. Shelf-Life
Frozen shrimp can be stored in your freezer for up to 9 months.
4. Bulk Buying and Portioning
Because of the long shelf-life, you can buy more shrimp at one time and not have to run out to the store every time you need a few pieces. I buy about 4 pounds each time and get more than 6 meals (for two) out of it. I love having the shrimp available any time I need it and have used it for last minute guests countless times.
5. Clear Labeling: Size
The bags of frozen shrimp I buy are clearly labeled with size, type, and where they came from. The size is most important because often you will find a recipe you want to use and it says 21/25 or 31/35. That just means the size is 21 to 25 shrimp per pound or 31 to 35 shrimp per pound. Often, you won’t see those sizes at the market though, especially if you go down to Chinatown. Different places have different definitions for medium, large, and jumbo shrimp so that’s not as accurate as the number sizing.
Defrosting/Thawing
Now that you have converted to frozen shrimp, you need to know how to defrost it. It’s so easy! I put them in a bowl in the sink and run cold water, allowing overflow. Depending on the size of the shrimp, it could take anywhere from 3 minutes to 15 minutes. It’s also faster if you don’t crowd too much shrimp into one bowl.
Try some of these shrimp recipes:
Roasted Shrimp with Tomato Vinegar
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this is a great post!! thanx for the info! very helpful 🙂
I think this is a very important and useful post. Thanks!
my mother buys frozen shrimp, too, and she can always control which ones are bigger.
I’ll send this to my sister. She’s the shrimp lover in the family.
I love the frozen raw shell-on shrimp we get from Costco. So good!
wow, i never thought about it like that… but i would still buy fresh (live) shrimp over frozen shrimp any day. there is a big difference in the texture.
Brian, agreed, the point is that most Americans do not have access to live shrimp.
I agree with all your reasons. I often buy frozen shrimp. I think the best flavors are the medium-sized ones. The biggest are not always the sweetest. I rarely find fresh (good sized) shrimp at the Asian market.
It would be nice if FM did a post on the second best form foods take (fresh is almost always best), but shrimp and peas are much better frozen than even a day old. Beans are almost as good canned as fresh. Canned tomatoes are just as good or better for some sauces as fresh, etc.
Thank you for the tip re: defrosting! I usually just boil them frozen. I’m planning to make Voodoo Shrimp soon, but couldn’t find the Voodoo Lager. Where did you find yours for the Voodoo cupcakes? I had to opt for Arrogant Bastard Ale, which could be a catchy name for a shrimp dish with cupcake dessert. Would you like an arrogant bastard cupcake? LOL!
I would also add the recommendation to buy “wild shrimp” as often as you can. Farmed shrimp have a lot of eco problems, including pollution, disease, and destruction of mangroves. Wild shrimp are definitely more expensive, but worth the splurge for their incomparable flavor. When you eat a wild shrimp, you’re reminded that shrimp actually HAVE flavor, since so many farmed ones have practically nil.
Bill, good post idea for winter.
Jean, we got it at Whole Foods, but I like the sound of the Arrogant B—- cupcake more!!
Thanks Carolyn! Absolutely!
as always it is best not to buy farmed raised–fresh or frozen
Jessica, this is a GREAT post! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this post.
My friend tells me that she will not buy frozen shrimp and I tell her, but you are buying defrosted shrimp. That fresh shrimp are not available generally in this country.
she doesn’t believe it. I buy four or five bags of Trader Joe’s grozen shrimp. They are all uniform in size and therefore cook at the same rate. They are the best.
What do you think you get in seafood restaurants. Frozen. Too perishable unless you have them flown in directly and even then………
Helen, yea, unless the restaurant has a little tank of shrimp swimming around, I assume it’s frozen.
I read nine (9) months max on keeping frozen shrimp,
will I do the curly shuffle if eaten after one year
Thank you
Hi Billy,
I don’t think I’ve ever tried keeping frozen shrimp that long. I always eat it up, prob within 3 months max so you might want to consult a seafood expert on this one – like your local fishmonger – if it’s ok to eat after a year, but I read 9 months.
i purchased some frozen shrimp and after i defrosted them, they were really salty, is that a sign that they are bad.
Mary, it doesn’t necessarily mean they were bad. Different brands treat the shrimp differently and some add salt. I prefer the ones without added salt.