Crustacean Creations

Photo: flickr user jurvetson

Ingredients

Shrimp Tips

Additives

Preparation

Sodium tripolyphosphate: This chemical protects shrimp against moisture loss.

If the additive is present in shrimp, it must be included on package labeling.

Sodium bisulfite: This chemical is commonly used to prevent melanosis, a disease in which the membrane between the shell and the tail muscle darkens as shrimp deteriorates. Melanosis is a cosmetic problem caused by improper handling and is not harmful to humans. The FDA states that sodium bisulfite concentrations cannot exceed 100 parts per million because bisulfites can cause severe allergic reactions in people with respiratory problems. It will always be listed on shrimp packaging. When overused, sodium bisulfite gives shrimp shells a rough texture, causes the meat to glisten and feel slippery. It can give the meat an unpleasant soapy taste.

Physical properties of shrimp in the market

Fresh: When available, head-on fresh shrimp must be handled carefully, because the head contains digestive organs which can deteriorate quickly and taint the meat. Diseases, such as melanosis and "shrink," can also occur in fresh shrimp.

Frozen: This is the most common form found in the markets and grocery stores.

Proper freezing preserves the fresh flavor of shrimp and will not affect the texture of the meat. "Green headless" is the standard market form for frozen shrimp. These shrimp are raw and deheaded with the shell and tail intact.

Cooked: These can occur in variety of forms. The most common method of cooking is steaming.

Raw: These are available in several forms (all previously frozen). Peeled undeveined are called PUD. Peeled and deveined are P & D or PDI (peeled, deveined, individually frozen). Raw shrimp should be peeled and washed (removing some or all of the vein.) "Tail-on" raw are peeled shrimp with only the tails left on and the veins left in. "Tail-on, deveined" shrimp are cut along the vein (dorsal side of the shrimp) to varying degrees and marketed as "split, "butterfly" or "fantail."

Breaded: Percentage of breading, by weight, is critical and is governed by FDA standards for product labeling. "Breaded Shrimp" must contain at least 50 percent shrimp. "Lightly Breaded Shrimp" must contain at least 65 percent shrimp. "Imitation Breaded Shrimp" will contain less than 50 percent shrimp. Most of these shrimp are headless, tail-on or tail-off, and generally deveined if larger than seventy count. Hand-breaded is labor intensive and more expensive than machine-breaded shrimp.

"Mini-round," or "basket" shrimp are generally not deveined and are breaded with either head-on or head-off.

Canned: These are usually the smallest shrimp, which are always cooked and peeled but not always deveined.

Dried: This is not a common form in North America, but is an important product in India and Asia. Dried shrimp can be found at many Asian food markets and are useful in sauces and shrimp fritters.

Home Preparation

Before cooking:Be sure to store fresh seafood in the coldest part of your refrigerator

(usually the lowest shelf at the back or in the meat keeper).

Always marinate seafood under refrigeration and discard used marinade since it will contain raw fish juices.

Always keep raw and cooked seafood separate to prevent bacterial contamination. When handling raw seafood, thoroughly wash knives, cutting surfaces, sponges and your hands with hot soapy water before handling cooked seafood.

Cooking: Raw shrimp turn pink and firm when fully cooked. Depending on the size, it should take from 3 to 5 minutes to boil or steam 1 pound of medium size shrimp in the shell. .

Storing: If you buy frozen shrimp from your local market, they should last about 9 months if they come frozen and are kept frozen, 5 months if they come fresh and are stored frozen, and 4 days if they come thawed and are stored in the fridge.