How to Cook Shrimps in 2 Different and Easy Ways

Method #1 (Pan Fry)

What you will need:

• 450 g shrimp, deveined and peeled.
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
• Olive oil could be utilized rather than butter for a slightly healthier substitute.
• Black pepper and salt, to taste.
• (optional) 1 Tsp. minced garlic. Mince 2 cloves of garlic if starting from fresh cloves. Also, you can use garlic powder. You could add it together with the pepper and salt. Use only ¼ Tsp. of garlic powder.
• (optional) 3 tbsp. lemon juice

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Melt the butter in a skillet.

In a large skillet, warm 2 tbsp. of butter over a medium-high heat. Wait until the butter melts. Remove the skillet from your stove and decrease the heat if the oil or butter starts to smoke. After several minutes, return the skillet to your stove and add more oil or butter to complete what’s lost. To avoid smoking again, carefully watch the skillet.

Step 2: Sauté the garlic.

Put the minced garlic in the hot butter or oil and stir-fry with a wooden spatula for up to 1 min, or until you can smell the strong aroma of the garlic. If you do not want garlic, you can completely skip this step.

Step 3: Add the Shrimp

​Add the shrimps to the skillet and season immediately with pepper and salt. Cook until slightly opaque and pink. Evenly sprinkle a substantial amount of pepper and salt over the shrimp. You could add as little or as much as you want. However, try ¼ Tsp pepper and ½ Tsp salt if you need a starting point.

The amount of time required for the shrimps to cook would depend on its size. Small shrimp would cook for 2 up to 2 ½ mins, medium shrimp would cook for 2 ½ up to 3 ½ mins, and huge strip would cook for 3 up to 4 mins. Also, stir occasionally the shrimps using a wooden spatula.

Step 4: Splash a few lemon juice.

Sprinkle 3 up to 4 tbsp. of lemon juice over the shrimp that is cooked. Let it simmer for 1 min. If you don’t want to, you can skill the lemon juice. Remember, don’t cook the shrimp too long after adding the lemon juice. You might end up overcooking it.

Step 5: Serve warm.

Remove the shrimps from the skillet and immediately transfer to individual serving dishes or serving platter.

Method #2 (Deep Fry Breaded Shrimp)

What you will need:

• 450 g shrimp, deveined and peeled
• 1-quart vegetable oil
• 1 slightly beaten egg
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• If you do not have panko, you might use extra dry bread crumbs to replace it.
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs. This is a kind of bread crumb popularly found in Japanese dishes. It has an airy and light texture when compared to regular bread crumbs.
• Pepper and salt to taste

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Heat oil in a deep fryer.

Pour all the oil into your deep fryer and let it heat around 375 °F (190 °C). A large skillet or a heavy saucepan can work if you do not own a deep fryer. If you are using a stove, heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Using a candy thermometer, check the oil’s temperature. Keep an eye periodically on the heat in the entire process to ensure that it doesn’t drop too low or rise too high.

Step 2: Mix the pepper, salt, and bread crumbs.

Use a fork to stir altogether the pepper, salt, panko bread crumbs, and dry bread crumbs in a wide mouth, shallow bowl. If you do not own one, you can use a rimmed plate.

Try ¼ Tsp black pepper and ½ Tsp salt if you are not certain about how much to use.

Step 3: Dim the shrimp in the egg.

Dip every shrimp piece in the egg to coat it well on every side. Lightly beat the egg using a fork before dipping all the shrimp. Hold every shrimp piece above the egg bowl so that the excess dribbles off. Else, the breading might stick to the shrimps in a huge, egg masses.

For this step, you could use your hands. However, if you do not want your hands to get slimy, you could use tongs.

Step 4: Coat the shrimp in the mixture of bread crumbs.

Transfer immediately every piece of shrimp to the bread dish after dipping it in the egg. This turns every piece well to cover each side.

The same as the egg dip, you must hold momentarily every coated piece over the crumbs dish to eliminate any excess.

Step 5: Fry the Shrimp.

In the hot oil, fry the shrimp for 2 up to 3 min. Dip several shrimp pieces into the hot oil until it turns golden brown. The shrimp must be opaque on the inside. To prevent crowding the fryer, only fry several shrimp pieces at a time.

Step 6: Serve hot.

Remove the shrimp from the fryer and allow it to dry on a plate covered with paper towels. Serve the shrimp after 1 or 2 min. to remove the shrimp from the fryer, use a slotted spoon. The paper towels are important because they help in oil absorption. Also, you can use brown paper bag material. However, paper towels absorb more.