No need to defrost shrimp before cooking. Learn how to cook shrimp from frozen, taking them straight from the freezer to the pot. It makes dinners a breeze and they taste so good!
Remember back when I told you that you don’t have to defrost fish or chicken breasts before you cook them? Well, you don’t have to defrost shrimp before cooking them either!
To be honest, I don’t love cooking chicken from frozen. I do that more in a pinch when I forget to take it out. It doesn’t turn out quite as good as when defrosted first. The fish turns out really good, especially thicker pieces. But, the shrimp!?!? They’re amazing cooked from frozen! They turn out even better when not defrosted first. Seriously.
Video: How To Cook Shrimp From Frozen
What Kind Of Shrimp Should I Use?
So, don’t buy the “previously frozen” thawed shrimp at the grocery store. They often cost more and you need to use them up right away. Instead, get a bag of frozen shrimp. Then put them into your freezer and you’ve got the makings of a quick meal on hand and ready to go.
What kind of shrimp work best? Medium to large shrimp. And make sure they’re already deveined. It will say deveined on the bag. The reason you want them deveined is that you won’t be able to take the veins out yourself while they’re frozen and it will be hard, if not impossible to do after they’re cooked as well. So deveined shrimp are required. Other than that, I prefer them to be peeled but with the tail on, or easy peel. Either way, you can cook them from frozen and then serve. People can easily take the peels off after they’re cooked.
Note that the shrimp also need to be frozen separately, not in a big clump. If you shake the bag, you should hear a bunch of frozen shrimp all moving around separately in there. If 2-3 are frozen together here and there, that’s fine. But no bigger clumps than that. If the shrimp are bought frozen from the store, they are usually frozen separately. If they’ve clumped up in the bag a bit, try banging the bag lightly on the counter. This could dislodge them.
How Do You Cook Shrimp from Frozen?
Today I’ll show you my favorite way to cook shrimp from frozen…poaching. Tomorrow I’ll be roasting them (from frozen) on a pan with some asparagus for a one-pan dinner that’s ready in 10 minutes.
Poaching is truly my favorite way to cook shrimp, especially for shrimp cocktail, but for almost any preparation. It’s such a gentle cooking method and it leaves the shrimp plump, juicy, and tender – never tough.
The crazy thing is that to poach the shrimp from frozen, you do everything EXACTLY the same as for poaching thawed shrimp. You just leave them in the water for an extra minute. One minute. That’s all, no need for thawing.
So here’s what you do.
Step #1
Get a medium or large saucepan. This depends on the number of shrimp you’re cooking. 12-15 large shrimp cook well in a 3 quart pot. You’ll need a bigger pot if you’re doing more than that. Fill the pot about 3/4 full of water.
Step #2
Add salt. I use about 1/2 teaspoon for the 3 quart pot.
Step #3
Then you can add other aromatic ingredients if you’d like. Half of a lemon is a great addition. Squeeze the juice into the pot before adding the halved lemon.
Peppercorns and parsley are two other things you can add. These aren’t as important as the salt but are nice additions.
Step #4
Bring the pot to a rapid boil over high heat. (Cover the pot to make it boil sooner).
Step #5
Remove from the heat and let it stop boiling.
Step #6
Add the frozen shrimp.
Step #7
Stir.
Step #8
Cover the pot. And let sit off of the heat for 5-6 minutes, until shrimp are opaque and pink. Yes, this is correct. The pot is not supposed to be on the heat at all anymore. The shrimp are poaching in the leftover heat of the water. If you keep boiling them, the shrimp will not be good at all!
A couple of times when cooking shrimp this way, they looked done but were a tad mushy. I actually think they were not quite ready yet because I ended up leaving them in a little bit longer and then they were perfect. So, if you’re not sure if it’s been long enough, try leaving them for another minute or two. At that point, the water has cooled enough that it’s not going to overcook them, so leaving them longer is a good idea.
If you have more shrimp than the 12 that the recipe calls for, you’ll need more time. I have done as many as 20 in that same pot. They then take about 10 minutes. If you’re going to do more than that, use a bigger pot and more boiled water.
Step #9
If you’re planning to serve the shrimp cold (like for shrimp cocktail) or use them later, prepare an ice bath: In a large bowl, put two cups of ice cubes and fill halfway with cold water.
Step #10
If you want cold shrimp, once they’re cooked, drain off the hot liquid and transfer shrimp (but not the aromatics) to the ice bath. Let them sit in there for a few minutes to fully cool off before draining.
If you want the shrimp to be served warm instead, drain off the hot liquid and serve immediately.
You can add them to a sauce for a pasta dish or squeeze some lemon over them and serve them as is.
I have so many great shrimp recipes for you to try, from my Easiest Shrimp Tacos to the ever popular Shrimp Cocktail.
Step #11
Note that if they had the peels on, you can serve them with the peel or take the peels off before serving.
Podcast Episode: Cooking Frozen Shrimp
Listen to me explain briefly about How To Cook Shrimp From Frozen, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
PrintHow to Poach Frozen Shrimp Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This is the best way to cook frozen shrimp. They end up so tender and juicy.
Ingredients
- 12 large frozen shrimp (21–25 count per pound, deveined and peeled or deveined and easy peel)*
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 of a lemon (optional)
- 8–10 peppercorns (optional)
- a handful of fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a 3 quart saucepan 3/4 full of water.
- Add salt. If using, squeeze the juice of the lemon into the pot and add the peel and flesh once squeezed. Add the peppercorns and parsley if using.
- Bring the pot to a rapid boil over high heat.
- Remove from the heat and let it stop boiling.
- Add the frozen shrimp. Stir. Put the lid on the saucepan. Cover the pot. Let sit off of the heat for 5-6 minutes**, until shrimp are opaque and pink.
- If serving cold, prepare an ice bath: In a large bowl put two cups of ice cubes and fill halfway with cold water.
- When shrimp are cooked, drain off the hot liquid and serve immediately or transfer shrimp (but not the aromatics) to the ice bath. Let them sit in there for a few minutes to fully cool off before draining.
- Serve as is or peel them first.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*NOTE: You can do as many as 20 shrimp in that same sized pot with that same amount of water. They’ll just take longer to all cook through, about 8-10 minutes. If you want to do more shrimp than that, use a bigger pot with more boiled water in it and it will work perfectly.
**It is better to err on the side of more time than less time. If the shrimp look done but aren’t quite ready, they will be mushy. So if you’re not sure, leave them a bit longer. And if you try one and it’s a bit mushy, let everything stay in the water a bit longer.
This post originally appeared in January 2018 and was revised and republished in October 2022. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Anne Glazier says
This recipe is a sure, quick method for poaching shrimp from frozen. I used frozen Jumbo Shrimp from Argentina (20 per pkg). Filled a pot with 6 cups of water and then added 2 1/2 tablespoons of COARSE SALT (for me, coming from New Brunswick, Canada where we boil our own lobster, adding COARSE SALT is the key for that right from the ocean fresh taste). Once water was boiling, removed it from the stove and when no more bubbles, dropped the shrimp into the pot and covered for 7 minutes. Then drained the water and placed shrimp in ice bath for 5 minutes. Removed shrimp from cold water, peeled and placed in fridge for 1 hour before serving as we prefer to serve them chilled with Seafood Sauce. Company raved how delicious they were so I owe the accolades to this recipe as to the method for poaching frozen shrimp! Thankyou
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, Anne! Thank you for sharing the details of your experience with it. So happy your company loved it!
Ima Pseudonym says
That was so easy I was a bit shocked! 18 16-20’s frozen took ~ 7 minutes. So much easier than what I used to do. Thank you.
Christine Pittman says
We love easy! You’re very welcome.
K. Almquist says
Follwed the directions exactly and my shrimp turned out perfectly!
Christine Pittman says
So happy you liked it!
Lynda Nanney says
Perfectly cooked to add to my Caesar salad for dinner. I usually buy cooked shrimp won’t be doing that any more!
Christine Pittman says
Thank you, Lynda! Happy it works well for you.
Jill Cherlin says
I just made Shrimp Cocktail following your recipe, and I am amazed how delicious and easy this was to make. I will never defrost my shrimp again! Thanks so much for this recipe!! So good and easy!😋❤️
Christine Pittman says
You are very welcome, Jill! I’m so glad you loved it. If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate you adding a 5 star rating which helps others find this recipe too. Thanks!
Kathleen Bernal says
Left shrimp after boiling water 10 minutes I think it still needed more time.😞 seemed still mushy..
Christine Pittman says
Kathleen, as it says in the note, if they seem mushy, leave them for a bit longer. However, if you had the right amount of shrimp and the right amount of water, they really should be done after 10 minutes. I’m not sure what went wrong for you.