Holiday appetizers are the perfect way to welcome guests and set the tone for your holiday party. They offer a chance to get creative with flavors and presentation, and even a basic spread can feel elevated with the right choices. Seafood always feels a bit fancy for a party and around the holidays we love working shrimp into our appetizer assortment.
Shrimp is a crowd-pleaser and it can be served in countless ways. A classic shrimp cocktail with zesty cocktail sauce is always a hit, or you can try shrimp skewers brushed with garlic butter or a sweet chili glaze. For a fresh, light take, a tangy shrimp ceviche is great and crispy, crunchy coconut shrimp is something that will disappear quickly.
The best part? Shrimp is fast and easy to cook, which is key when you're trying to cook all of your other holiday dinner dishes, plus hopefully spend some time with your guests. Adding shrimp to your holiday spread instantly transforms it into something special, and there's really nothing easier than a shrimp cocktail. Plus, it's fresh and colorful.
Cook's Illustrated, the trusted cooking magazine known for rigorously tested recipes and science-based cooking techniques, shared the best way to cook shrimp so they're perfectly tender and never overdone. This is going to be a game-changer for the holidays (and all the shrimp-cooking days after that). Here's what you need to know.
Related: The Secret Ingredient for the Best-Ever Garlic Shrimp
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The cooking magazine shared this tip on its Instagram page and it instantly grabbed out attention. They said you can "differentiate between cooked and overcooked shrimp by its shape." We're listening.
According to the experts at Cook's Illustrated, cooked shrimp forms a loose "C" shape, indicating it’s perfectly done—aka tender and juicy. Overcooked shrimp, though, tightens into an "O" shape, signaling it's overdone—aka rubbery and tough. An easy way to keep this straight is to remember that "C" is for cooked and "O" is for overcooked.
To make sure your shrimp don't end up in the "O" camp, give them a bath—or rather, poach them and start the cooking process in cold water.
Instead of dropping your shrimp in boiling water, start by placing them in cold water and bringing the water to a boil. (This is also our preferred method for boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes.) Starting shrimp in cold water ensures even cooking. By gradually increasing the water temperature, the shrimp cook gently, keeping them tender and juicy. The gentle cooking method minimizes the risk of overcooking the seafood and ending up with a pot full of O-shaped shrimp.
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What People Are Saying About the Shrimp-Cooking Tip
"This is the only way I poach my shrimp, comes out perfect every time, someone commented on the Instagram post.
"This is really helpful information especially for those who didn’t grow up eating seafood or in areas with seafood," another person added. It really is very helpful!
Some people said they're sending this to friends and family so that everyone has this helpful, simple tip when they're cooking shrimp this holiday season. Can you imagine how many platters of overcooked shrimp cocktail we could avoid?
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