Poached shrimp is used in a number of popular Vietnamese dishes, such as goi cuon rice paper salad rolls (a.k.a. summer rolls) and goi du du green papaya salad. I can’t stand the flat taste of most pre-cooked shrimp and typically cook my own by boiling them in a pot of well salted boiling water. As soon as they turn orange and curl up, I fish them out. But after talking with some fellow Vietnamese cooks recently, I changed my ways.
These ladies, one of whom I met in Saigon and the other at a local community college function, told me that a great way to cook shrimp is with a bit of water, vinegar, salt and sugar. It’s fast since you don’t have to boil a bunch of water, tasty as the sweet brininess is more concentrated, and keeps the shrimp from spoiling quickly (important in Vietnam where refrigeration is limited). The flavorful shells are kept on the shrimp during cooking so as to impart greater flavor. This method is apparently quite popular among Viet cooks these days.
I’ve tried this method out several times with white shrimp, both the head-on and head-off types. In both instances, the shrimp were indeed tastier but the shells stuck on the shrimp more and were harder to remove. When I deveined the shrimp (the best method here is to run scissors along the back and pushing out the unwanted dark vein) before cooking, keeping the shells intact, peeling was easier, though the shrimp was slightly less flavorful. It’s as if the shrimp cook better with their jackets on. Tiger shrimp have thicker shells that should be easier to remove with this cooking method. You can always devein after cooking, though doing it beforehand is easier.
Feel free to use this method for cooked shrimp that you’d used for a salad or cocktail – basically any time you need boiled shrimp.
For ½ pound of shell-on shrimp, combine the following in a medium saucepan:
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
3 to 4 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Taste and make sure there’s a moderatly strong tart-sweet-salty flavor. Make any flavor adjustments, you’d like. Add the shrimp. Then heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. When things start boiling, pay closer attention and stir frequently. As soon as the shrimp have turned orange and curled up, remove from the heat. Set aside to cool before peeling and using.
Laura says
How interesting! I've heard of using vinegar but never sugar. Makes perfect sense though, given how sweet really wonderful shrimp are. And yes, I agree, the shell on/off thing is sort of a dilemma. The taste is better but I find deveining cooked shrimp to be such a pain!
Gastronomer says
Thanks for sharing, Andrea. I'll test it out the next time I make goi cuon 🙂
anh says
hmmm...very good to know. Will definitely test this out next time I'm making goi. Thanks!
Annie says
My mom always seasoned her shrimp in salt and sugar before cooking them. Adding vinegar sounds interesting. I will have to give it a go next time I need shrimp.
Andrea says
That is an interesting tip. I can't wait to give it a try.
Andrea Nguyen says
Well, if there isn't decent refrigeration, the vinegar help to kill bacteria. You don't really taste it in the shrimp. Glad you all find the technique as nifty as I do.
T says
Old women have told me that the vinegar and salt is suppose to make it peel easier. But I guess from your experience, the old women were wrong.
Andrea Nguyen says
T -- one person told me it's the way she likes to do it. The other said that the shrimp keeps longer. The first person I noticed had trouble peeling her shrimp like I did. The ease of peeling the shrimp may have to do with how much liquid the shrimp are cooked with. May the older women who told you about the technique had more liquid in the pot and found that their shells came off more easily?
In the regular poaching method, I've never had problems getting the shell off.
Mark Ford says
For frozen shrimp with the shells intact, though headless, I find following yields a sweet product with a citric freshness.
Place frozen shrimp in a microwave safe plastic dish no more than two layer thick.
Just cover with fresh cold water and sqeeze the juice from one key lime lemon; I use the mexican variety. This is sufficiet for 2-15 medium shrimp.
Place in microwave for one minute. Check after time elapsed and stir shrimp and continue to microwave until shrimp are a light pink color.
Then
John says
I have never heard of adding vinegar. I will have to try that out. I have been cooking shrimp a lot lately and love how versatile they are. Thanks for the tips.
Andrea Nguyen says
Mark -- great tip for using the microwave oven! Thanks.
caroline says
I just tried your recipe, and I enjoyed it. Its a delicious, simple way to prepare shrimp. I ate it with nuoc cham. I am not Vietnamese, but Vietnamese food is one of my favorites. I'll use this recipe the next time I make goi cuon.
manh tuong says
keep the shells on use a bamboo stick pick at the back to revove the black stuff
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the wolf has a winning game.
Daren says
Excellent recipe for the shrimp. I am sitting here eating and enjoying every bite. So much better than just fixing in butter and garlic.
Frederik oopen says
i love the microwave tip, im off to give it a try
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marlon says
But I guess from your experience, the old women were wrong.