Pre-cooked frozen shrimp

[JohnL]

Hello all,
Recently my GF came home with a bag of frozen pre cooked, cleaned shrimp. I thawed some to serve with cocktail sauce, but they were pretty bland, even with the sauce. Any ideas what I could do with the remainders? As they're pre cooked, I would imagine that any farther cooking would make them tough or rubbery. BTW, they are farm raised Indonesian shrimp.
Thanks for any tips,
John.

 

[Andy M.]

You could toss them into a stir-fry or a soup. The flavors of the soup or sauces will mask the shrimp's mildness.

 

[dragnlaw]

Make sure that they are fully defrosted and then use a ton an'a half of paper towels to dry them.

It is not my favourite way to go but you can put them into many of your recipes except perhaps the grill type ones.

In this case, you're right, the shrimp can be pretty bland so perhaps choose recipes that are looking for the texture of the chew and highlighting other flavours?

No comment on the source,

 

[Dawgluver]

Chop them up, mix with mayo, chopped pickles, minced green onions, or whatever else you might use in egg salad, but with shrimp.

 

[GotGarlic]

Chop them up, mix with mayo, chopped pickles, minced green onions, or whatever else you might use in egg salad, but with shrimp.

Good idea. A little hot sauce is good in seafood salad, too.

 

[dragnlaw]

Good idea. A little hot sauce is good in seafood salad, too.

Often make a seafood salad (with the tiny Nordic shrimp) - never thought of giving it a shot of hot sauce! Thanks!

 

[David_G]

I love either Cajun or Sriracha in a shrimp casserole.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton​

Ingredients:

2 mirlitons (chayote)
½ tsp Cajun seasoning, divided
½ stick butter
¼ cup green onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2oz shrimp, cooked and chopped
1/4 cup Panko crumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350oF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Add the mirliton and ¼ tsp of Cajun seasoning to the boiling water, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30 to 45 minutes,until a paring knife inserted into the mirliton meets no resistance.

Remove the mirliton from the pot, drain and cut them in half lengthwise along the crease. Scoop out the pulp, leaving about ¼-inch all around. Set pulp aside. Place the mirliton face down on paper towels to drain.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add chopped vegetables and sauté until soft; about 5 to 10 minutes. Chop the reserved mirliton pulp and add it to skillet. Add the remaining ¼ tsp of Cajun seasoning and the shrimp and stir to combine. Stir in the panko crumbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the mirliton halves into a casserole dish. Scoop shrimp mixture into mirliton shells and bake at 350oF for 30 minutes.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

EGG FU YUNG​

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1 cup homemade or store-bought Chinese chicken broth
1 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 4 Tbs water
2 Tbs evaporated cane juice
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Egg Fu Yung:

4 eggs
1/4 tsp minced garlic
2 thinly sliced scallions
4 oz bean sprouts
2 oz chopped mushrooms
3 sweet mini bell peppers, diced
½ cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup cooked small shrimp
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions:

Set oven to 150F.

Beat the eggs and garlic powder together in a bowl until well-combined. Fold in the bean sprouts, green onions, and shrimp.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, scoop about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture into the skillet to make a patty, and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture. Set the patties in oven to keep warm.

Whisk the chicken broth, cornstarch slurry, sugar, oyster sauce, and soy sauce together in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the sauce simmers and thickens, about 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the patties.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Snapper Romano​

Ingredients:

Fish

4 Pacific rock cod, or other firm fleshed fish fillets
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs light olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Sauce

1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp lemon juice
2 Tbs butter, cubed and slightly chilled
2 Tbs Mushroom, sliced
2 Tbs yellow onion, sliced
1 scallion, white part only, sliced
¼ tsp oregano
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup bay shrimp
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Dry the fish fillets with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper. In a sauté pan, heat the light olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Dredge the fillets in flour and sauté them 3 to 4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove the fish and keep them warm.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the sauté pan and cook, stirring constantly, until it just starts to get golden brown, about 60 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon juice and butter, and swirl the pan until butter just melts. Add the mushrooms, onion, scallion, and oregano and sauté them until soft. Add the marinara sauce and shrimp and bring it to a boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the fish fillets.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Shrimp Tacos!

Pat the thawed shrimp dry and sear them quickly in a pan with some oil, lots of garlic and hot pepper flakes or a big pinch of cayenne. Serve in a taco shell loaded with cabbage salad or shredded lettuce and any other taco trimmings that you enjoy. Finish it with a big squirt of lime juice.

 

[caseydog]

You got the double whammy, there -- pre-cooked, and Indonesian "farm" raised.

But, all is not lost.

As mentioned, dry them out, and then you can do a very quick sear to brown them a bit. As others have mentioned, using them in a salad or sauce will make up for the lack of flavor.

BTW, have a talk with the GF, be nice, and explain that the only way to buy frozen shrimp is raw, and with the shell on. Oh, and wild caught in the USA.

CD

 

[ricelover]

Pork and shrimp potstickers?

 

[JustJoel]

I’d just throw it on some pizza, maybe with pineapple. Or onions. And really good olive oil. And just so I can make even more pizza purists go “bleeech,” shrimp, anchovy and olives make good eating!

 

[caseydog]

I’d just throw it on some pizza, maybe with pineapple. Or onions. And really good olive oil. And just so I can make even more pizza purists go “bleeech,” shrimp, anchovy and olives make good eating!

I'm okay with anchovies on pizza, but pineapples? Shrimp? Sorry, I gotta call "bleeech."

CD

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I’d just throw it on some pizza, maybe with pineapple.

If God wanted pineapple on pizza, he would have put Italy in the South Pacific!

 

[buckytom]

What about shrimp in garlic sauce?

Mix together evoo, salt, fresh parsley, and lots of chopped raw garlic.

Put the frozen shrimp in a ziplock, pour the mixture over them, seal, and refrigerate for an hour.

When they become partially thawed, pour everything into a pan and cook over low heat just until the garluc begins to lightly brown. By then, the shrimp should be heated through as well.

My wife buys these giant bags of frozen, pre-cooked shrimp when they go on sale (for something like $2 / pound). We've tried them in several dishes, but Garlic Shrimp, aka Camarones al Ajillo has been the best use for them.

Next choice would be to toss them in a spicy tomato sauce in which you've just previously added mussels and scallops.

 

[dragnlaw]

If God wanted pineapple on pizza, he would have put Italy in the South Pacific!

Hear Hear!!!

 

[JohnL]

Thanks for all of the great ideas and recipes.
It seems like they can be used in lots of things as long as they're not cooked for a long time. I definitely prefer Texas browns from the gulf, but these are what she brought home, lol. I gotta give her credit for trying!

 

[JustJoel]

Pooh on youse guys knocking shrimp on pizza! They make it in Italy, for Moses’ sake! And squid pizza too! Try it once, then say yea or nay.