Today, shrimp and squid dishes are rightfully popular. Seafood contains a large number of beneficial trace elements. First of all, iodine, phosphorus, iron, calcium and copper. However, seafood can only be consumed after preliminary heat treatment.
Shrimp cooking rules
The shops sell 2 types of shrimp: fresh frozen and boiled-frozen. They can be distinguished by their color. Shrimps that have undergone heat treatment before freezing have a reddish color. Cook them less than fresh frozen seafood.
Pour cold water into a saucepan, in a ratio of about 2: 1 (there should be 2 times more water than shrimp), put on fire and bring to a boil. Rinse freshly frozen shrimp beforehand; cooked frozen shrimps do not need to be washed. Once the water boils, add salt and spices to taste. It can be black and allspice peas, cloves, bay leaves, thyme, fresh or dried dill, parsley, lemon wedges or juice, garlic cloves. Dip the shrimp in boiling salted water with spices. As soon as they turn red and float to the surface, the seafood is ready. The cooking time for shrimps depends on their size and how they are frozen. For boiled-frozen shrimp, 3-5 minutes is enough, for fresh-frozen shrimp it takes 7-10 minutes. It is important not to overexpose seafood on fire, otherwise it will become tough and tasteless. After boiling, it is not recommended to immediately remove the shrimp from the broth, but it should be held for 15-20 minutes in the broth, then the seafood will turn out to be more juicy and tasty.
Tiger and king prawns are cooked in the same way. They are quite large and are usually sold fresh frozen, so they boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Before cooking, rinse tiger and king prawns under running water. Then pour cold water into a saucepan, bring it to a boil and salt. If the shrimp are boiled in a shell, it is recommended to take 40 g or 2 tablespoons of table salt per 1 liter of water, but if the shrimp are boiled peeled, then less salt should be taken - 20 g per liter of water. Add spices to the brine to taste, and as soon as the water boils, lower the shrimp. Bring water to a boil again and reduce heat to low. After 5-10 minutes, when the shrimp turn red and float to the surface, remove the pan from the heat. Drain the water, and pour cold water over the shrimp. After that, they are easy to cleanse.
How to cook squid
The squid must first be defrosted. This should be done in air or in cold water (from hot water, squid meat turns pink and changes its taste). Then remove the chord from them and peel off the skin that looks like a transparent film. To do this, dip the squid carcasses in salted boiling water for a few seconds.
Pour cold water into a saucepan, bring to a boil and salt. Dip the squid in boiling water and cook over low heat for literally 2-3 minutes. As soon as the meat turns white, hold the fillet in water for another 10 seconds and catch it with a slotted spoon. If you digest the squid, their meat will taste "rubbery". Therefore, some advise, by dipping the squid fillet in boiling water, count to 30 and catch it. Then also lower the second fillet for 30 seconds.
