a recipe question???

Question

ive been searching up recipes trying to find something new and i got a recipe for chunky jambablya that sounds really really good...im kinda new to the whole cooking new stuff thing so i have a question that might sound kinda stupid to most of you experienced......it says to bring ingredients to a boil and add other stuff..but then it says to just put in the 1/2 pound raw shrimp with the sausage then cover and let simmer for only 5-10 minutes or until the rice in there is fluffy....would the raw shrimp really cooked through in 5-10 minutes..seems like it wouldnt but ive never cooked using shrimp before??? and also, it says that the 1/2 lb. shrimp needs to be deveined and peeled...how would i go about to that and whats the best thing to buy at the store??? thanks in advance and sorry if this is a really stupid thing to ask but i guess thats what this site is for :D

Answer 1

Shrimp certainly would cook through in that amount of time. It cooks very fast. When it's no longer translucent, it's done.

As to deveining and peeling, just buy it that way from the grocery store as it is not an easy thing to do and utterly time consuming. Take to the seafood department in your store and tell them you need raw, peeled and deveined shrimp.

If you want to do it yourself, you best bet for learning how is to find an online video guide, look on Foodnetwork.com or Kraftfoods.com

Answer 2

The cooking time for the shrimp is fine. Probably closer to 5 instead of 10 is better. If you cook shrimp for much longer than that it will turn chewy and rubbery. If you buy whole shrimp on the shell, the easiest way to peel it is to take a knife, chop away the legs, chop away the tail, and then take off the peel from the body. Shrimp have a dark/black line on their back. To take this off (devein) you take it out with a knife point or a fork. However, I never devein my shrimp. It takes a long time and it has no effect on quality or taste. Another thing you could do is buy peeled and frozen shrimp. Since you are new to cooking, using the frozen stuff will save you a couple steps. Later on, as you become a more accomplished cook you'll find it easier to go the fresh shrimp route.

Answer 3

Raw shrimp cooks really fast...overcooking is a much bigger problem than not cooking it enough (well, a more common problem...anyway).

Peeling and deveining...peeling is just taking off the shell. Pull the head off the shrimp, open the shell where the legs are, and peel away from the legs. You can leave the tails or not. Deveining is taking out the black like on the back of the shrimp...some people think it's important, others not. Just pull it away.

Answer 4

Well, I cook shrimp alot and it is possible to cook it in 10 mintues, but to tell you the truth I never follow recipes time wise so I would add an extra 3 minutes or so. To devein and peel the shrimp means to take off the shell and legs and stuff like that. You could also buy frozen bags of shrimp that already come deveined and peeled. Hope this helps!!!

Answer 5

I would buy shrimp that is already peeled and deveined - you can usually get it frozen that way. If you don't get them already done, you'll need to 'peel' the shell off of the shrimp (along with the legs), and take out the vein that runs along the back of the shrimp (it's like a little black thread - it's the digestive tract).

Shrimp cooks really quickly, so 5-10 minutes is more than enough time to cook it through. Just stir-frying thawed shrimp only takes about 3 minutes, so you'll be ok. You'll just want to cook them until they're pink all the way through, otherwise they'll get rubbery and tough.

Feel free to email me with any other questions you have :)

Answer 6

Shrimp cooks really fast is not good overcooked. I would add it for only 5 minutes to boiling liquid. It is done when it turns pink. When you purchase shrimp in the shell, pull the legs off and then peel the shell off from where the legs were. Once peeled, on the back you can usually see the mud vein. Take a sharp paring knife and cut about an 1/8" deep slit from one end to the other on the outside back of the shrimp. Open the slit up and remove the vein. I find this easier to do under cold running water.

Answer 7

Shrimp cook really fast so you don't need to worry about that. You can buy deveined and peeled shrimp from the store that is precooked if you still feel uncomfy doing it. Peeling it is easy, though. You just peel off the natural 'shell' the shrimp have on them. Deveining is kind of gross if you haven't done it before. There is a dark (almost black) line running from the tail to the end. You need to remove that. I usually cut it along the line, then take the black gunk out. It's not really a vein, it is their digestive tract. So it's excrement, basically.

Answer 8

Shrimp can certainly be done in that amount of time. Probably even less.
You can purchase shrimp already peeled & deveined, but if you want to do it yourself (I do because they never seem to clean them properly) it is very simple. First, starting from the legs, peel the shell off. Next, take a small paring knife & run it lightly along the dark line on the back of the shrimp. Kind of like butterflying, but not as deep. Pull out the vein, rinse, & repeat. Good luck!

Answer 9

It is not a stupid question and I applaud your bravado at choosing such a dish to prepare! Hope to find out how it went.

Okay, first of all, shrimp cooks REALLY fast and 5 minutes sounds about right...any longer than 10 and the shrimp toughen.

Pinch of the head and discard. Peel the crusty skin off and dispose of. What you have left is a white, translucent delectable morsel of shrimp. Take a small, sharp knife and slit the shrimp from upper top to bottom, but only deep enough to pull out the alimentary tract and dispose of. That takes the bitterness out of the shrimp.

Good luck and there is rarely anything stupid about a question from someone who truly wants the knowledge!

If you are not is an area selling fresh shrimp, you can buy it at any grocery or even buy (perish the thought) frozen

Answer 10

Shrimp cooks very quickly. Your talking to a Jambalaya expert! You can buy deveined and peeled shrimp from the grocery store, it will say on the package that it is deveined and peeled. Simmer on medium low heat for closer to 10 minutes and it should be perfect! Good luck. And you shouldn't apologize for your question. Nobody is born a chef!