Natural form

Whole raw shrimp showing the curved shell, tail fan, and translucent grey-pink flesh.

Teaches readers to recognize the unprocessed form — shell, segmented body, antennae, and coloration — before any prep.

Proteins

Shrimp

Sweet, quick-cooking shellfish for sautés, grills, and curries

Sweet and snappy, shrimp cook in a flash — sauté in garlic butter, skewer for the grill, or fold into a curry. Don't overcook them. Keep cold and use the day you buy.

Shrimp (or prawns) are sweet, quick-cooking shellfish — among the fastest proteins in the kitchen, going from raw to perfectly done in just two or three minutes. Their firm, snappy flesh turns from translucent gray to opaque pink and curls into a loose 'C' when ready; cook them a moment past that and they tighten into rubber, the one real pitfall. They take to almost everything: a hot sauté in garlic butter, a fast grill, a stir-fry, a curry, or boiled cold for cocktail. Their shells make a quick, intensely flavored stock. Buying frozen is often fresher than 'fresh' (usually previously frozen) at the counter.

Measured in: g
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 2 days

Allergens

Shellfish

Find it in

Seafood

Types & varieties

Raw shell-on

Best flavor; shells make stock and protect the meat in cooking.

Peeled and deveined

Convenient for quick weeknight cooking.

Tiger / king prawns

Large, meaty, great for grilling and skewers.

Cold-water (small) shrimp

Sweet little shrimp, often pre-cooked, for salads and sandwiches.

Gamba blanca / roja

Spanish: gamba blanca is everyday; gamba roja is prized.

Langostino

The everyday Spanish prawn, often frozen or boiled.

Carabinero

Large premium scarlet Spanish prawn.

Gambas cocidas

Pre-cooked, chilled — sold ready to eat (often confused with raw).

Pre-cooked shrimp

Ready to eat cold; just thaw — don't overcook again.

Jumbo / Colossal Shrimp

Large, meaty shrimp with a firm snap. Ideal for grilling on skewers, shrimp scampi, or stuffing; size makes them forgiving but watch for quick overcooking.

Spot Prawn

Large sweet cold-water prawn prized for delicate, almost lobster-like flesh; cooks fast, so it is best lightly grilled, seared, or even eaten raw when very fresh.

How to choose

Look for firm, translucent shrimp with a clean sea smell — never ammonia, which signals spoilage. Frozen shrimp are usually fresher than thawed 'fresh' at the counter (which were frozen anyway), so buy frozen and thaw at home. Shell-on raw shrimp give the most flavor and the bonus of stock-making shells. Sizes run by count per pound — fewer means bigger.

How to store / food safety

Keep very cold and cook fresh/thawed shrimp within a day; thaw frozen shrimp in the fridge or under cold water, not at room temperature. Cook until opaque (about 2–3 minutes) — undercooked shellfish can carry bacteria, and raw shrimp isn't for everyone. Shrimp is a common, serious allergen. Refrigerate promptly.

How to cook

Speed is everything: get the pan or grill hot, cook shrimp just until they turn opaque pink and curl into a loose 'C' (a tight 'O' means overdone), and pull them immediately. Pat them dry for a good sear. Devein the dark line if you like (mostly cosmetic). Save the shells to simmer with aromatics into a fast, flavorful stock or bisque base.