how to cook shrimp

HOW TO COOK SHRIMP

Boiling, grilling and pan-searing tips and tricks from the Perdue Farms pros!

Your order of frozen shrimp has arrived at your doorstep. Now what? Here, the Perdue Farms culinary team shares techniques for how to cook shrimp, from gently steaming in a pot to roasting in a hot pan or the oven. These cooking tips and delicious shrimp recipes will help you make the most of our premium shrimp – farm raised and certified sustainable!


The best way to defrost our shrimp is by placing products — still in their original packaging — on a plate or tray with a lip to catch juices, placing the tray in the refrigerator on the lowest shelf to avoid cross contamination and letting shrimp thaw overnight. This applies to both the raw and cooked shrimp items. If storing both, always store cooked shrimp on a shelf above raw shrimp.

Perdue Farms’ shrimp products come deveined and cleaned. Frozen cooked shrimp should be defrosted before serving. Frozen raw shrimp should be defrosted before adding to a recipe. To remove the shell, start from the top side of the shrimp and peel the shell and tail away from the body.

Shrimp has a neutral flavored that works well with most spice and seasoning combos, from Old Bay to jerk. And you can never go wrong with the classic scampi flavors of lemon and garlic. Be careful when using acid-based marinades as they can alter product texture. An example would be ceviche. Sauces and glazes can also be applied after the cooking process or to precooked shrimp. BBQ sauces, Asian-style glazes, stone ground mustard sauce or just a simple bloody Mary ketchup work well.

Our favorite poaching liquids are lemon- and beer-based. Try the delicious shrimp recipes below:

  • Fill a pot with about one inch of water or seafood broth. Add lemon slices to the water or broth for extra flavor. Place a steamer basket or a colander inside the pot, ensuring that it sits above the liquid.
  • If desired, sprinkle your favorite seasoning over shrimp and toss to coat.
  • Once liquid comes to a gentle boil, arrange shrimp in a single layer in the steamer basket or colander. Make sure shrimp is not submerged in liquid. Cover the pot with a lid and let the shrimp steam for two to three minutes, or until shrimp turns pink and reaches an internal temperature of 145 F.
  • Remove pot from heat and carefully remove the lid. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer steamed shrimp to a platter. Serve shrimp immediately with melted butter, cocktail sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
  • Preheat the grill on high.
  • Shrimp can be grilled shell on or off and with the tail on or off. Pre-season shrimp with a dry rub or a liquid marinade.
  • Thread five to six shrimp on each of several skewers.
  • Turn grill down to medium. Place shrimp on the grill over direct heat. Grill for three to four minutes per side, or until shrimp turns pink, has nice grill marks and reaches an internal temperature of 145 F.
  • In a medium to large sauce pot, heat two to three cups of vegetable oil. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature until it reaches 350 F.
  • To bread the shrimp, mix together a cup of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fine ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch.
  • Whisk one whole egg with 1/2 cup water. Set aside.
  • Peel shrimp, dredge in flour mixture and shake off excess. Next, dip shrimp in egg wash, drain off excess, then dip into breadcrumbs and place on a large platter. Repeat until all shrimp are breaded.
  • Working in smaller batches, fry shrimp until golden brown, insides are bright white and internal temperature reaches145 F, approximately four to five minutes.
  • Once cooked, place in a warm oven, then proceed with next batch until all shrimp is cooked.
  • Preheat air fryer to 375 F.
  • Peel shrimp, then season with desired blend.
  • Place shrimp in the air fry basket, in a single layer.
  • Cook for four to five minutes or until shrimp is bright pink and reaches an internal temperature of 145 F.
  • In a medium to large sauté pan, heat two tablespoons olive oil
  • Peel shrimp and season with desired blend.
  • Add shrimp to pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
  • Cook for four to five minutes or until shrimp is bright pink on the outside and white and 145 F on the inside.
  • Optional:
  • Add chopped garlic and onion to pan and cook slightly before adding shrimp.
  • When shrimp is almost cooked through, deglaze the pan with a little white wine and reduce.
  • Then add a little heavy cream and reduce until thickened. Serve shrimp and sauce over rice or pasta.
  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Toss shrimp in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.
  • Season shrimp with desired blend.
  • Place shrimp on a baking tray, evenly spaced.
  • Bake in the oven for six to eight minutes or until shrimp is bright pink on the outside and white and 145 F on the inside.
  • Steamed rice, jasmine rice or even flavored rice like pilaf or coconut rice
  • Crisp garden salad, Caesar salad or a Mediterranean salad with ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and olives
  • Roasting vegetables such as asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers or Brussels sprouts
  • Medley of grilled vegetables like eggplant, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms
  • Garlic butter noodles, lemon linguine or a simple olive oil and herb pasta
  • Grilled or boiled corn on the cob
  • Crusty bread to soak up any sauces or juices
  • Lightly sautéed spinach with garlic and olive oil
Farmhouse Blend all-purpose seasoning

Best Seasoning for Shrimp

Our new Farmhouse Blend enhances the flavor of seafood before or after cooking, thanks to a proprietary mix of roasted garlic and herbs. The secret’s in the savory essence of umami, which deepens flavor and boosts deliciousness.

best frozen shrimp brand

Premium Frozen Shrimp

Perdue Farms partners with North Coast Seafoods, a third-generation family owned American company that specializes in the finest quality sustainable seafood. Seafood is traceable back to the waters in which it was harvested and the trusted, dedicated fishermen within the company’s network who caught it. Processing, handling, packaging, and transportation/delivery – North Coast Seafoods owns the process from start to finish.

buy chicken online - Perdue Farms

Why Choose Perdue Farms

When it comes to the food you feed your family, quality matters. And while there are a lot of options out there, Perdue Farms stands apart. In business for over 100 years, we are a fourth-generation, family owned American food and agriculture business that from the beginning has worked with family farmers.