Quick Shrimp Prep

While I love cooking from scratch and trying new recipes, there is always room in my life for super quick, easy, minimal ingredients meals. I think we've all been excited about a picture or idea, then you see the recipes that involve 12 steps, 15 ingredients, and multiple dishes to clean. Nope. It's just not going to happen most of the time.

Here are some of my simple shrimp cooking methods that will have you eating in no time:

Steam: My favorite way to prepare shrimp is using a simple vinegar/water mix or beer and steaming it. I use what I have in my kitchen for this process. Currently, I use a rack insert (from my air fryer) placed in one of my large skillets with a lid, keeping the vinegar mixture below the rack. You will only need 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid to create the steam. Load it up with Old Bay, slap a lid on it, and let it go. Shrimp will steam in 5-10 minutes. Prior to having this rack, I used my metal colander in my stockpot. The colander kept the lid from fitting over the top of the stockpot by a couple of inches, so it took a few more minutes to cook since some of the steam is lost in the method.

If you want a traditional shrimp cocktail, omit the seasoning and chill before serving.

Sauté : Two words: Garlic butter. Minced garlic will perfume in butter or ghee stovetop in about 1 minute. You can toss your shrimp in the mixture and it will sautee very quickly. If you want to add a little punch you can sprinkle in parsley, granulated onion, or a little cayenne pepper. You can also pick up amazing garlic butter in your seafood department

Grill: Marinating shrimp for the grill is a great idea. Not only does it impart flavor, but it will also add a little bit of oil to your shrimp to help with releasing them from the grill grates. Nothing frustrates me more than shrimp sticking and having pieces instead of the large shrimp you actually paid for. Another good option is using a premade Greek seasoning and lemon slices. This will also give you a great presentation to impress your guests.

Stirfry: Toss in your pan with some veggies. It will all cook quickly. The biggest key to a one-pot stir-fry is to start with the larger and longer cooking items first. Ex: Onions take longer to cook than cabbage, so start with onions for a few minutes, then add the shrimp and finally the cabbage. Remember hot pan, cold oil for proper stir-frying. Utilize vinegar and flavored oils for stirfrying. If you are using a jarred sauce, I suggest searing first for flavor and add the sauce at the end only warming it properly, otherwise, you are just boiling your produce.

Bake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for shrimp cooking. You can do a light batter using parmesan cheese and herbed bread crumbs, or a quick shrimp scampi with wine or stock, Italian herbs, and butter. Lemon balances your flavors nicely with seafood if you aren't already using vinegar. I tend to use them interchangeably

Play with your food: I am a huge believer in playing with your food. You are in control of your kitchen. If you have seasonings in your cabinet, that means you like the flavors. If I open the cabinet during meal prep without a plan, I will open blends and smell them. That will tell me whether I am in the mood for it at that moment. It may sound crazy, but even seasoning blends I use regularly, I do this with. If you still aren't sure, taste it. They are dried herbs, it will not harm you. You should always taste and smell what you are cooking with. One word of caution: if you are using any form of concentrate, they are VERY concentrated. Once you add fluids they will dilute.

Protip: Start off with a little seasoning and taste. Taste as you go (as long as you don't have undercooked poultry or seafood in the same pot). You can ALWAYS add more seasoning throughout the cooking process. You cannot remove it. Seasoning is more important during cooking versus once it is on your plate.