Shrimp can be jumbo. Shrimp, as their name suggests, can also be small. Today’s column is about the latter.
Those small shrimp, sometimes called salad shrimp (a popular way to use them), are sold cooked. You’ll find them for sale in stand-alone seafood stores and at supermarkets in three forms.
On the West Coast, being so close to a source of them, we are able to buy them fresh. A small variety caught in B.C. waters is known as a pink shrimp, but in stores it’s most often labelled either as hand-peeled shrimp or machine-peeled shrimp.
Those terms are a reference to how the shrimp is processed before reaching market. According to the B.C. Wild Shrimp website, bcwildshrimp.com, hand-peeled shrimp is peeled by workers after cooking. That effort preserves the shrimp’s bright pink colour and firm, sweet tasting meat.
Machine-peeled shrimp is peeled by machine, making it less labour intensive, less expensive to produce, and therefore cheaper to buy than hand-peeled shrimp.
However, because of the additional water used in processing, machine-peeled shrimp are not as bright pink or firm as hand-peeled shrimp, or as rich tasting, but they still are appealing to eat and use in recipes.
Fresh-cooked shrimp are highly perishable. At the time of purchase they should have a fresh, mild sea-like aroma and be used within one day of purchase. Store in the coldest part of your refrigerator until needed.
Small cooked shrimp can also be bought frozen, originating from places such as Canada’s East Coast. When purchasing, look inside the bag and if the shrimp are heavily coated with thick, greyish frost, put them back. It’s a sign they’ve been frozen a long while or were improperly packaged, and will taste more like aged ice than shrimp. The safest way to thaw frozen shrimp is to remove the amount you need from the bag, set in a bowl and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Small cooked shrimp are also sold canned. They are convenient because, like a can of salmon, you can simply store them in your cupboard until needed, no refrigeration or freezing required.
Keep in mind that if you do use canned shrimp that salt is added. And on the cans I checked, so are food additives such as disodium pyrophosphate, a chelating agent that aids the stabilization of food colour, aroma and texture. Also, if you’re into buying local or Canadian, the canned shrimp I saw were processed in Thailand.
No matter what form of small cooked shrimp you’ve bought, if there is excess moisture, pat dry with a paper towel before using. If you don’t, the excess moisture on them will water down the taste of the dish you’re adding them to.
Small cooked shrimp can be used in myriad ways, such as sandwiches, pastas and seafood stews. In today’s recipes they star in a hearty soup, a colourful salad with avocado and savoury cakes served with flavoured mayonnaise.
RECIPES
Sumptuous Shrimp Chowder with Dill
This hearty shrimp- and vegetable-rich chowder bolstered with bright-tasting dill.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 25 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
1/2 lb. (225 grams) small cooked shrimp, patted dry
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 large garlic clove, chopped
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 3/4 cups seafood or chicken stock, or clam nectar (see Note)
1 cup peeled, diced (1/2-inch cubes) white or Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup light cream or homo milk
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• salt and white pepper to taste
Set half the shrimp on a cutting board and coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl. Keep it and remaining whole shrimp, separately, in the refrigerator until needed.
Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook 5 minutes, or until softened. Mix in flour until well combined; cook 2 minutes more. Slowly stir in 1 cup of the stock or clam nectar. Bring mixture to a simmer, and then when thick, mix in remaining stock or clam nectar. Stir in the chopped shrimp and potatoes.
Simmer the chowder, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Now mix in the shrimp you left whole, dill and cream. Simmer 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Note: Seafood stock is sold in the soup aisle of some supermarkets. Clam nectar is sold at most supermarkets and available in the aisle canned seafood is sold.
Shrimp and Avocado Salad in a Glass
This lovely salad is attractively served in a martini glass. It will make a nice, light lunch or decadent first course for a multi-course dinner.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 small, ripe avocados
10 oz. (300 grams) small cooked shrimp, patted dry
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
• hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
3 Tbsp grated carrot
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or mint
• salt to taste
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded leaf or head lettuce
8 to 12, half lemon or lime slices
• tortilla chips, to taste
Place juice in a medium bowl. Quarter each avocado lengthwise, pull apart and discard the pits. Peel skin off the avocados. Cut each quartered piece of avocado, lengthwise, into 4 slices. Now cut avocado into small cubes, set in the bowl and toss and coat with the juice. Add the shrimp, oil, cumin, hot pepper sauce, bell pepper, carrot, cilantro or mint, and salt. Toss to combine, and then tightly wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Salad mixture can be made 1 to 2 hours before serving.
To serve as a light lunch, divide the lettuce between 4 martini glasses. Divide and mound shrimp and avocado salad into each glass. If serving the salad as an appetizer, divide the lettuce and shrimp and avocado salad among 6 martini glasses.
Garnish each glass with 2 half lemon or lime slices. Serve with tortilla chips, with which you can scoop up some of the salad.
Shrimp Cakes with Cumin Chili Mayo
These moist shrimp cakes could be served as a starter for a fine dinner. Accompanied with a side salad, they could also be a meal on their own.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
For the mayo
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
Splash or 2 hot pepper sauce and lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
For the shrimp cakes
12 oz. (340 grams) small cooked shrimp, patted dry
1 large egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
2 tsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• lime or lemon slices and parsley sprigs for garnish
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Place the shrimp on a cutting board and finely chop almost to a mince; or pulse in a food processor until this consistency is achieved.
Transfer the shrimp to a bowl. Add the egg, flour, mayonnaise, green onion, bell pepper, juice and hot pepper sauce and mix well to combine.
Place bread crumbs in a wide, shallow dish. Dampen your hands lightly with water and shape a 1/4 cup amount of the shrimp mixture into a ball. (Shrimp mixture will be wet, but will hold together nicely when cooked.) Set the ball on the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the top and sides with bread crumbs and then gently form into a cake about 3 inches wide. Set the coated cake on the baking sheet. Make cakes in similar fashion with remaining shrimp mixture. (Shrimp cakes can be coated a few hours before ready to cook; cover and refrigerate until needed.)
Heat the oil in a very large non-stick skillet or griddle set over medium, medium-high heat. Add the shrimp cakes and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and well heated through. Set 2 cakes on each of four plates. Dollop some of the cumin chili mayo alongside, garnish with lemon or lime slices and parsley sprigs, and enjoy.
Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
