First try at SV'd Shrimp

[T-bone]

Time for a lighter meal today and a chance to try something new in the SV. We had an open bag of frozen shrimp that some of the shrimp were starting to show some freezer burn so time to put them to good use. I made a wet brine of salt and sugar and used that to thaw/brine the shrimp (about 30-45mins).

The brined shrimp were patted dry and brushed with garlic/butter mixture (actually it was clarified butter, coconut oil and smoked garlic) and then seasoned with a citrus rub.



The shrimp were vac sealed with some thyme and basil from the garden.



They spent 30 mins @ 135* in the HTTM and then on to skewers lightly brushed with mayo (to prevent sticking) and a dusting of more citrus rub.



A quick sear on the gasser....



And voila! Tasty, juicy shrimp. They were excellent! The shrimp were moist, not rubbery, and had nice sweetness from the brine with a little bite from the rub. No indication that they had been previously frozen and you couldn't tell that any of them had a little freezer burn.

Today shrimp was our main protein and a total hit, but these also would be great as the surf portion of surf and turf, in an avocado salad, on a regular salad or in a po' boy sandwich, etc. There's lots and lots of possibilities. Next time I'm going to make extra and see how they hold up after being vac sealed, frozen and reheated in the SV.

The SV definitely took the guess work out of the cook and produced great, non-rubbery shrimp. Those with a SV that haven't tried shrimp yet, time to get busy and give it a whirl.

[Thunder77]

Sounds and looks delicious! I have to try that!

[MBMorgan]

Nice job! Might have to give that a try ...

[kmhfive]

This. Is. Happening. This week!

[T-bone]

Definitely worth the effort. Let us know if you have the same great results.

[Kevin McNary]

Went on a weekend frenzy with my brand new Joule bought on Amazon Prime day. Am lucky to live in South Louisiana and got absolutely fresh jumbo shrimp at the farmer's market. Followed Chef Steps app, vac sealed after 15 minute salt-sugar cure and light application of Old Bay, granulated garlic, glug of evo, fresh Tarragon, lime zest. 10 min. bath @ 158 F. Perfectly done, moist, tender perfection. Will be fun to play with seasoning in the future, but the cook was perfect. Texture amazing, kind of a firm gel, bursting with shrimp essence. I may never again cook shrimp any other way.

[EdF]

Wait til you get to try some Divers Scallops! You'll be even more impressed. Or mussels! Ah the vistas unfolding before you!

[Steve B]

EdF please give me more info about doing scallops and clams/mussels. I'm seriously drooling right now.
I love shell fish. Can't even type anymore I'm so dang hungry.

[Kevin McNary]

Was thinking of heading to FL for a scalloping trip. SV might be a great way to cook the whelks I grab which are nearly impossible to tenderize.

[EdF]

Now that's one I haven't looked into, but I love those things. Worth some kind of investigation!

[kmhfive]

So, I did the shrimp today. Thawed in a liquid brine, dried and coated, vacuum sealed and into the HTTM for 30-min. @135F. Pulled them out and seared them on a CI griddle in my GMG. Had some spicy Alabama White sauce and they were perfect! Thanks for the recipe T-bone.

[T-bone]

kmhfive you're more than welcome. Glad it worked out and thanks for the pic. Great call on the Alabama White Sauce. I had some in the fridge and didn't event think about using it. I'll definitely try it next time.

[allsid]

I love this cook T-bone and can't wait to try it myself. For some reason, scallops become insanely sweet in SV as well. Give them a shot too-

[T-bone]

allsid and EdF great call on the scallops. They're going on the to-do list!

[EdF]

Steve B

Scallops

Cooking Time: 12-20 minutes

Serves: 3-4
Ingredients

8 Large Diver Scallops – dry packed, 10/30 U/8-U/10

2T Shallots, chopped

3-4 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

Zest of ½ Lemon

Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Grape Seed Oil, for searing
For more information on food safety, please click here.
Step One
Set the Sous Vide Professionalâ„¢ to the desired temperature, with rear pump flow switch closed and front flow switch set to full open. For diver scallops, 125°F / 52°C is found to be the best temperature.
Step Two

Season scallops with salt and pepper. In a small vacuum bag, place seasoned scallops along with thyme, lemon zest and chopped shallot.
Step Three:

Seal scallops to desired vacuum. For delicate items like shellfish, the best vacuum percentage is 80-90%. This will ensure the scallop is not compressed under vacuum, compromising the integrity of the delicate muscle fibers.
Step Four:

Once target temperature is reached, place scallops in circulating water bath.
Step Five:

Cook scallops to desired doneness for 12-20 minutes.
Step Six:

Gently remove scallops from vacuum bag. Dry the scallops with paper towel. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Sear in a very hot pan with grape seed oil until golden crust forms on both ends.
Optional:

For a touch of smoke, lightly smoke the finished scallop with applewood smoke, using The Smoking Gunâ„¢ by PolyScience

[Steve B]

Thanks EdF

[hogdog6]

Oh man I do little seafood but when I read scallops you got my full attention. Thanks for the post EdF! This will have to be done at my house and soon.

[EdF]

The mussels.

Here's a kenji stovetop recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/t...k-mussels.html

The sv one I have is in Modernist Cuisine at Home. Too expensive for just one recipe.

[dtassinari]

Just thought I'd post a cautionary tale: make sure you aren't keeping your shrimp in the SV too long. 20-30 minutes is all you need.

Last week I got a good deal on some quick-frozen large prawns: once I defrosted them they smelled a tiny bit, so I thought I'd cook them at 60 C / 140 F for 1 hour, so they'd be pasteurised even accounting for both size and freshness (or lack thereof).

They turned out really mushy: the texture was almost like a soft-boiled egg yolk. They had virtually no bite and no snap.

I can't tell what in the combination of low-ish quality, being frozen, relatively high temp and relatively long time is the culprit, but that wasn't good eating. Stick to 55 C / 130 F for half an hour max, as I should have

[T-bone]

dtassinari great advice. I've found that using the salt/sugar brine for defrosting helps with the texture and adds a little sweetness that seems to help counter the loss of flavor from being frozen.

[dtassinari]

T-bone Agreed!

[patcrail]

Do you guys usually have an issue with frozen shrimp coming out "chewy"? I’ve been buying Sand Bar brand at Kroger recently, and just 3-5 minutes on a hot grill, they’re 135, clean bite, no hint at all they were ever frozen! Just wondering if there’s any need to go through the whole SV process? For me, it would just be an excuse to use it, cause these are beautiful quick-grilled.

[rickgregory]

Shrimp (and lobster) are one of the best uses for SV I think. They're pretty sensitive to being over cooked which SV eliminates, of course. And they're fast.... about 30 mins or so from frozen.

I've done them and lobster meat with some butter in there and used them to make lobster rolls (or shrimp rolls). Outstanding.

[patcrail]

Btw, I defrost under running water, 4-5 minutes, whatever difference that makes... sounds like total time is similar..

[rickgregory]

I think it depends on what you're after. SVing them with butter is basically butter poaching them. Add a little smoked paprika and they're tender, infused with butter and flavor. Of course, that's not as important if you're going to grill them etc. IF you can nail the doneness on the grill then I think the main issue is what you're using them for. For shrimp rolls, I like the butter poaching effect and the moistness. For grilled skewer type things... eh. I'd just grill them.

[patcrail]

rickgregory thanks, that answers my questions! Right now, we’re just grooving on grilled skewer-style... but if I want to take it up a notch for other recipes, I’ll have to check out SV

[Dewesq55]

I have used the SV to poach shrimp for a shrimp salad. They come out great.