[0 - 2] - For anyone who has done a lot of shrimp peeling,
[2 - 4] shell on shrimp can just seem like a huge hassle,
[5 - 7] Peeling shrimp takes some time,
[7 - 7] but I'm here to tell you
[7 - 10] that it is always worth it to buy shell on shrimp.
[10 - 15] More on that after the break. (upbeat music)
[15 - 17] Shrimp shells are pretty fascinating.
[17 - 19] They're made of a substance called chitin,
[19 - 20] which does not break down when heated.
[20 - 23] Chitin is also what gives mushrooms much of their structure
[23 - 25] and it's why it's very hard to overcook mushrooms.
[25 - 27] I've got a whole video on that
[27 - 28] which you should definitely check out.
[28 - 30] There's a link to it below this video.
[30 - 32] Beyond chitin, the shells contain proteins, sugars,
[32 - 34] and tons of ribonucleotides,
[34 - 36] which are water soluble compounds
[36 - 38] that dramatically enhance savory umami taste.
[38 - 40] They're also rich in aromatic compounds
[40 - 41] that provide shrimp flavor,
[41 - 42] but I'm hearing you say,
[42 - 43] "A lot of recipes call
[43 - 45] for removing and tossing the shells before cooking.
[45 - 46] So in that case,
[46 - 49] is it really worth buying shell on shrimp?" Still, yes.
[49 - 50] The shell provides protection
[50 - 53] to the shrimp during processing, freezing, and thawing
[53 - 55] and even if you're going to remove the shells
[55 - 56] and cook the shrimp separately,
[56 - 58] the shells still have much to give.
[58 - 59] Check out this experiment.
[59 - 62] We simmer batches of four ounces of shrimp shells
[62 - 64] in one and a half cups of water covered
[64 - 67] for 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes.
[67 - 69] After simmering, we strained the broth off of the shells
[69 - 71] and tasted the samples warm.
[71 - 73] Surprisingly, the 5 and 10 minute samples
[73 - 76] had more shrimp flavor than the longer cooked ones.
[76 - 77] It may seem counterintuitive
[77 - 80] that a shorter cooking time produces better stock,
[80 - 81] but there's good reason for this.
[81 - 83] While there are some savory compounds
[83 - 84] found in shrimp shells,
[84 - 86] such as the ribonucleotide in acidic acid
[86 - 89] that are non-volatile and stay in the stock,
[89 - 90] the compounds that we associate
[90 - 92] with shrimp flavor are highly volatile.
[92 - 94] They're easily destroyed during cooking.
[94 - 97] The bottom line is all it takes is five minutes
[97 - 99] to turn discarded shells into a nice shrimpy stock.
[99 - 102] You can make that stock even more flavorful
[102 - 104] by first browning the shells in a little bit of fat.
[104 - 106] Because many flavor compounds are fat soluble,
[106 - 109] the oil will pull those out and hold onto them.
[109 - 110] And in addition,
[110 - 112] the high heat treatment activates the maillard reactions.
[112 - 115] So, we get hundreds of new flavor compounds as well.
[115 - 116] I don't know about you,
[116 - 118] but all of this flavor compound talk
[118 - 120] is making me mighty hungry.
[120 - 121] Let's go to the kitchen.
[121 - 124] The first step to any shrimp recipe is buying shrimp.
[124 - 126] And here, I want you to do something
[126 - 128] that might feel really counterintuitive,
[128 - 130] and that's buy frozen shrimp.
[130 - 133] The vast, vast majority of shrimp sold in this country
[133 - 134] has been frozen,
[134 - 135] so when you see unfrozen shrimp
[135 - 136] for sale at the fish counter,
[136 - 138] it just means that the fishmonger
[138 - 139] has thawed out that shrimp.
[139 - 141] Buying frozen shrimp means
[141 - 142] that you're getting a fresher product
[142 - 144] that has not had a chance to start deteriorating.
[144 - 147] Simply put, frozen shrimp is fresher shrimp.
[147 - 149] You should look for IQF shrimp,
[149 - 151] which means individually quick frozen.
[151 - 154] Most of the shrimp these days is IQF, which is great.
[154 - 155] You can tell by looking in the bag
[155 - 157] and seeing that each shrimp is individually frozen
[157 - 159] and not connected to the others.
[159 - 161] This is a very fast way of freezing shrimp
[161 - 164] so that the ice crystals that form are very small
[164 - 165] and they don't damage the flesh
[165 - 166] and it means that you can pull out
[166 - 169] just the number of shrimp that you need for that meal.
[169 - 171] Now, the final thing to look for is the ingredient list.
[171 - 173] And here, perhaps not surprisingly
[173 - 175] you just want to see the word shrimp.
[175 - 179] No salt and no STPP or sodium tripolyphosphate,
[179 - 181] which can negatively impact texture.
[181 - 184] Wow, I think we know everything we need to know
[184 - 186] to make the most popular recipe ever developed
[186 - 187] at "Cooks Illustrated",
[187 - 192] a perfect version of garlicy lemony spicy shrimp scampi.
[192 - 193] The first step is to peel
[193 - 195] and devein our shell on jumbo shrimp.
[195 - 196] Now, we all know that jumbo shrimp
[196 - 198] is definitely an oxymoron,
[198 - 200] but it is also the size of the shrimp that correlates
[200 - 203] to about 16 to 20 shrimp per pound.
[203 - 205] Just remember that the smaller the count number gets
[205 - 206] the bigger the shrimp will be.
[207 - 209] What I mean is one shrimp per pound
[209 - 210] would be one big old shrimp,
[210 - 212] which begs the question,
[212 - 214] would you rather find one 1 pound shrimp
[214 - 216] or 16 to 20 shrimp that add up to a pound?
[218 - 221] Man, shrimp really tried to confuse us, huh? Jumbo shrimp.
[221 - 222] Frozen is fresher.
[222 - 224] A smaller count means larger shrimp.
[224 - 226] I mod your look game.
[226 - 227] Here's how I like to peel shrimp.
[227 - 230] I run my thumb up the belly to remove the small legs.
[230 - 233] Then it's simple to peel the shell off like this.
[233 - 235] And for deveining, here's what works well.
[235 - 238] Simply run a pairing knife along the back of the shrimp
[238 - 241] and then use the knife and or a paper towel to pull it out.
[241 - 243] For this recipe, we are going to brine our shrimp
[243 - 246] in a solution of salt and sugar for 15 minutes.
[246 - 247] Brining is great for shrimp
[247 - 249] because it adds juiciness, seasoning,
[249 - 252] and helps the shrimp stay tender as it cooks.
[252 - 253] And because they're so small,
[253 - 255] 15 minutes is plenty of time.
[255 - 256] Now time for our stock.
[256 - 257] We'll heat a tablespoon of oil
[257 - 260] in a 12 inch skillet over high heat until shimmering.
[260 - 262] Then we add our shrimp shells and cook,
[262 - 265] stirring frequently until they begin to turn spotty brown.
[265 - 266] That takes about two to four minutes.
[266 - 269] Then we add wine and thyme sprigs and simmer gently.
[269 - 271] Remember, for just five minutes.
[271 - 272] We'll strain the mixture
[272 - 274] through a colander set over a large bowl.
[274 - 277] Next, we build a super flavorful base to cook our shrimp in.
[277 - 279] We heat oil, garlic, pepper flakes,
[279 - 282] and pepper in our now empty skillet over medium low heat.
[282 - 284] We'll stir this occasionally until the garlic is fragrant
[284 - 286] and just beginning to brown at the edges.
[286 - 288] That's only three minutes.
[288 - 290] Now, in goes our reserved shrimp and shrimp stock.
[290 - 292] We'll cover and cook this over medium heat
[292 - 294] until the shrimp are just opaque,
[294 - 295] about five minutes more.
[295 - 298] Now, here is the key to really tender juicy shrimp.
[298 - 299] We created tons of flavor
[299 - 302] by browning the shells and all of those aromatics,
[302 - 304] but notice that we aren't searing the shrimp.
[304 - 305] By essentially poaching them,
[305 - 307] we keep the shrimp beautifully tender.
[307 - 309] Next, we transfer the shrimp out of the skillet
[309 - 310] using a slotted spoon.
[310 - 311] To thicken the sauce,
[311 - 313] we add a lemon juice cornstarch mixture
[313 - 314] and cook for about a minute.
[314 - 317] Then we whisk and butter and parsley until combined.
[317 - 318] Back in goes our shrimp,
[318 - 320] and it is time to eat.
[320 - 322] I love serving this with crusty bread
[322 - 324] so you can soak up all of that sauce,
[324 - 327] but it's equally great on pasta. Wow.
[327 - 328] This is amazing.
[328 - 331] I get why this recipe is our top one of all time.
[331 - 334] Now, that's obviously a pretty tough act to follow,
[334 - 336] but if you really want to get to know the magic
[336 - 336] of shrimp shells,
[336 - 339] you gotta make roasted shrimp. What's that?
[339 - 340] You've never roasted a shrimp before?
[340 - 341] Well, don't feel bad.
[341 - 343] I hadn't either until I came across this recipe
[343 - 346] and now I'm a full roasted shrimp convert.
[346 - 348] We are starting with more jumbo shrimp
[348 - 351] and this time I'm slicing through the top shell and deveining,
[351 - 352] but not removing the shell.
[352 - 354] Just as we saw with shrimp shells giving up
[354 - 356] their flavor into the liquid,
[356 - 358] when shrimp is cooked in its shell
[358 - 360] that shrimpy goodness is absorbed by the meat.
[360 - 361] An additional benefit
[361 - 362] is that the shells shield the shrimp
[362 - 364] from the direct heat of the oven.
[364 - 367] We get plenty of roasted toasty flavor in this recipe,
[367 - 370] but the shrimp themselves are gently steamed inside.
[370 - 372] After another quick brine,
[372 - 374] we pat them dry and toss them with oil, garlic,
[374 - 376] coriander seeds, lime zest,
[376 - 378] annatto, pepper flakes, and cilantro,
[378 - 380] a super flavorful mixture.
[380 - 381] We'll arrange the shrimp in a single layer
[381 - 384] on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
[384 - 385] Then we'll broil the shrimp
[385 - 387] until the meat is opaque and the shells are brown,
[387 - 389] which takes about two to four minutes on each side.
[389 - 390] I know I said roasted,
[390 - 391] but we're technically broiling.
[391 - 393] Now we transfer the shrimp to a serving platter
[393 - 396] and serve immediately passing lime wedges.
[396 - 398] At this point, I like to get my hands dirty.
[398 - 399] You can do this with a fork and a knife,
[399 - 402] but I love nothing more than getting in there with my hands.
[402 - 405] The shrimp is super tender and really shrimpy
[405 - 407] and the spices just take it to another level.
[407 - 409] Now, speaking of levels,
[409 - 412] if you wanna seriously level up your shrimp shell game,
[412 - 414] the ultimate experience is salt and pepper shrimp,
[414 - 416] where we treat the shells just so
[416 - 418] and fry them to a paper thin crispness,
[418 - 420] so crisp and perfect
[420 - 422] that after a quick stir fry with salt, garlic,
[422 - 425] ginger, fresh pepper, and Sichuan peppercorns
[425 - 427] you just pop the whole thing in your mouth.
[427 - 431] The shells are crispy and incredibly flavorful. Yum.
[431 - 433] I hope that my love letter to shrimp shells
[433 - 435] has inspired some of you to make these recipes
[435 - 442] because this is absolutely how to eat shrimp. (bright music)
[443 - 444] Thanks as always for watching.
[444 - 446] Now, if you've avoided shell on shrimp
[446 - 448] or just trash the shells in the past
[448 - 449] and you're feeling bad about it,
[449 - 453] I've got an easy fix for you. Head to cooksillustrated.com/whatseatingdan
[453 - 456] and grab all of these incredible recipes.
[456 - 457] There's a link below the video.
[457 - 458] While you're there, hit subscribe,
[458 - 460] like in that little bell icon
[460 - 462] then you'll never miss another episode
[462 - 464] of "What's Eating Me"?
[465 - 466] See you next time.