Raw Shrimp vs. Cooked Shrimp: Which Is Better?

Are you extremely squeamish about peeling raw shrimp?  If so, stop reading and continue buying cooked shrimp.  But use that shrimp for Shrimp Cocktail or Shrimp Salad—dishes that don’t require cooking the shrimp any further.

If you can handle pulling the shells off raw shrimp and then cooking them, your shrimp dishes will taste much better.  The reason is simple. 

Cooked shrimp are ready to eat.  Cooking them some more will make them tough.  However, if you cook them raw, you can control how long they are subjected to heat.

How to tell if they are cooked or raw: uncooked shrimp are gray.  As they cook, they turn pink.

Because shrimp come in many sizes, their cooking time differs.  Here is  general guide:

Small or tiny shrimp (somewhere between 50-to-70 shrimp per pound) – This size shrimp is usually only available cooked and peeled, but if you find raw small shrimp, cook for just 1-2 minutes.

Medium shrimp (somewhere between 40-to-50 shrimp per pound) - cook for about 3 minutes

Large shrimp (somewhere between 25-to-40 shrimp per pound) - cook for 3-4 minutes

Jumbo or Extra-Large (somewhere between 15-to-25 shrimp per pound) - cook for 5-6 minutes

Colossal (somewhere between 10-to-15 shrimp per pound) - cook for 5-6 minutes 

Quick-Fried Spicy Shrimp – serves 3-4 

1 pound raw large or jumbo shrimp
3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon za’atar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper 

Remove and discard shells from the shrimp. With a knife make a shallow cut down the back of each shrimp and remove the black intestinal tract.  Set shrimp aside in a bowl. 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  When it’s hot, add the garlic, thyme, za’atar, salt and black pepper and stir until the garlic begins to brown.  Add the shrimp and stir, turning them occasionally, until the shrimp turn pink on both sides and are firm.  This will take from 3-6 minutes, depending on how big the shrimp are. 

Serve over rice.

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