It's easy to pull out a few crackers, chips, or veggies to munch on, but I'm a big fan of fancy no-muss, no-mess snacks that are even tastier. One of my favorite quickies is shrimp cocktail, like the one above.
I keep a bag of cooked shrimp in the freezer, and when I'm feeling peckish, I pull out a handful, and then quickly thaw them in warm water* in a measuring cup. Pull out the shrimp, quickly rinse the cup, pour in a little cocktail sauce, and viola! It's shrimp cocktail with only one thing dirtied in the process, maybe two if you need to spoon out your cocktail sauce.
*Edit: Warning: As Chris pointed out below, warm water can increase bacteria attached to the shrimp after cooking, another reason why cold water baths are usually used. Using cold water, if you choose, shouldn't take much longer for a small amount of shrimp.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-04-2008 @ 10:45AM
Chris said...
"It's shrimp cocktail with only one thing dirtied in the process, maybe two if you need to spoon out your cocktail sauce."
Actually three: the shrimp itself that you probably just contaminated by thawing in warm water.
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 10:56AM
Monika said...
Contaminated how?
From the research that I've done, people suggest cold water to keep from cooking the shrimp more and making it tougher. I've found that a couple thawed in lukewarm water (to be more clear) didn't affect the quality of the shrimp.
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 11:15AM
Chris said...
It's not a flavor or texture issue, it's a food safety issue.
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 11:25AM
Monika said...
Again, Chris, I ask how exactly?
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 11:28AM
Bethany said...
Monika, I liked this article. I do the same thing! I think Chris is probably just confused. :)
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 11:32AM
pIrish said...
I have to agree. What contamination issues are there? The shrimp is already cooked so you aren't getting any of the raw food contamination. I could understand if the shrimp was raw, but it's not. I'm really at a loss as to how this can be a food safety issue.
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 11:37AM
pIrish said...
I think this is a great idea. I'm not a huge fan of shrimp cocktails, but they're something I really want to start liking, after all, it's a heck of a lot healthier for me than most of the junk I snack on. This may be a great way for me to get me used to them (small doses, not in a party-type setting).
Thanks for the idea!
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 12:05PM
Chris said...
Depending on how the shrimp were handled after cooking,
there will be a few or a lot of surface bacteria.
Thawing in warm water will cause these to multiply
quickly.
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 12:51PM
Monika said...
Thanks for replying, Chris. I'll add a warning for those concerned about possible bacteria.
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 2:52PM
Monkey said...
"a few little wigglies" certainly could kill you depending on what they were!
They could also make your life very miserable either just in the short term, or even in the longer term (read up about Reiter's Syndrome and Salmonella infection).
Things may have gone OTT about bacteria in many aspects of life, but you simply cannot be too careful with food.
Reply
6-05-2008 @ 6:06AM
Shannon said...
I absolutely love a mini shrimp cocktail like this as well and have done it for years. I thaw my shrimp under cold water but see no problem with the warm water since the shrimp are already cooked and any bacteria growth would be no more than anything else you cook in your kitchen.
This is a bit off track but I personally think american society has gone a bit overboard with anti-bacterial products and sanitizing everything that stands still. Yeah, I thoroughly clean cutting boards and the like but a few little wigglies aren't going to kill you.
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