For the Freshest Shrimp, Buy Frozen
I almost always have a couple of bags of frozen shrimp in the freezer, but a couple of weekends ago I decided to grab a few “fresh” from the seafood counter at the grocery store, hoping to save the 15 minutes that would normally take the little guys out of my meal. I came home, made a shrimp cocktail and noticed that the shrimps were a little softer than I’m used to. My boyfriend and I ate them anyway. Six hours later, he vomited. (I was fine.)
Fresh actually means thawed.
You didn’t have to witness the pain of a loved one to back up what I already knew: frozen shrimp is almost always fresher than the “fresh” foods you see on the seafood counter. In fact, if you look at the small plaques that stand in front of a pile of curdled crustaceans, you are likely to find an indication that they were “previously frozen.” The store just took the liberty of unfreezing them for you.
Unless you buy shrimp from someone who just caught them, your shrimp was (or should have been) frozen. This is good. After the shrimp is killed, the enzymes that digest the food of the little shrimp begin to break down its body , making it soft and tender. Freezing them not only stops this attack, but also slows down the growth of bacteria, so that the shrimp that enters your stomach becomes firm, flavorful and as fresh as possible. After thawing, both enzymes and bacteria begin to do their job again, so it is always safer and tastier to buy frozen and thawed just before cooking and eating.
What about sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium bisulfite?
When you read the ingredients on a bag of frozen shrimp, you may find one or both of these ingredients on the label, especially if it’s a particularly economical bag. According to Melissa Clarke of the New York Times , sodium bisulfite is added to frozen shrimp for aesthetic reasons:
Sodium bisulfite is used to protect shrimp shells from melanosis (also called black spot), which is the darkening of the head and shell after the shrimp has been caught and exposed to oxygen. This reaction is harmless – think of it as the marine equivalent of toasting the pulp of an apple after you cut it open.
This chemical is not harmful, but it also does not prevent the shrimp from spoiling, protecting them from bacterial growth, or preserving their taste. It just keeps it pretty and pink.
Sodium tripolyphosphate, on the other hand, is a chemical that causes seafood (like shrimp and scallops) to absorb water, which Clark says can increase their weight by as much as 10 percent – and you end up paying for that extra bit of water. masses. … It can also affect the consistency of the cooked shrimp. Depending on how much water the shrimp is absorbing, you may accidentally steam them rather than fry or stew them, giving them firmness and elasticity. Fortunately, if the shrimp has been treated with one of these chemicals, they must be listed on the package. Also, sodium tripolyphosphate is usually added after the shell has been stripped, so look for shell shrimp if you want to avoid this and save the tails for a tasty broth . Finding frozen shrimp that aren’t processed with these additives may cost you a little more, but you will spend your money on delicious fresh shrimp meat that won’t sound odd in your mouth (or make you – or your boyfriend – sick).