Americans love shrimp. Shrimp, the fruit of the sea, is America's favorite seafood. When it comes to shrimp, while big is always better served in a shrimp cocktail, when making deep-fried shrimp, and, in specialty dishes like firecracker shrimp, that's just not so when it comes to making many appetizers and hors d'oeuvres (shrimp dip, shrimp salad, tea sandwiches, various canapés, etc.). Extra-small shrimp, also known as "salad shrimp", are sweet, tender and adorable, so, when serving fingerfood, think small, because the extra flavor is important.
Once upon a time, people bought salad shrimp packed in cans (similar to tuna). That's ok. That's how things were done before flash freezing came along, and freezer- trucks and train-cars criss-crossed our country. It was also before in-home refrigerators had an ample freezer section and households invested in chest- or stand-type freezers. When my mom got a freezer IT was a big deal. When frozen salad shrimp became available to her, she never bought the canned again. Why? Next to fresh, flash-frozen is superior.
If given the choice between between flash-frozen or canned shrimp, always choose flash frozen. Flash-frozen shrimp have better texture than canned shrimp (which are soft from immersion in water). Flash-frozen shrimp taste better than canned shrimp (which are salty, even after rinsing).
Flash-frozen extra-small shrimp (a 90/200 count), are fully-cooked and ready to use upon thawing, which is a relatively quick and easy process. According to all package directions, there are two options for thawing:
#1) Place frozen shrimp in a bowl of room temperature water for 10 minutes. #2) Place frozen shrimp in a colander under cold running water until thawed, about 15 minutes.
The first option renders cold-to-room temperature shrimp, which is great for making a shrimp dip or a spread. The second option renders ice-cold shrimp, which is great when tossing shrimp directly into a salad.
Thawed and thoroughly-drained salad shrimp store nicely in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Puttin' on the Ritz, Retro Salad-Shrimp Dip Revisited:
Time out for Tiny Salad-Shrimp-Salad Sandwiches:
Time out for Tiny Shrimp & Tiny Shells Pasta Salad:
Spicy Tiny Salad-Shrimp Mini Shrimp-Cocktail Cups:
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2020)
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