How to Boil Shrimp

Step 1

Thaw the shrimp (place it in the refrigerator over night, or day of place it in a strainer and allow a steady stream of cold water to defrost it for about 15 minutes).

Step 2

Bring 12 cups of water to boil with the kosher salt and lemon juice from the 1/2 lemon.

Step 3

Prepare a bowl of ice water.

Step 4

Add the shrimp and cook about 2 minutes (more or less time depending on size of shrimp), until bright pink and cooked through. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and place it directly into the ice water bath to stop the cooking.

Step 5

Remove the shells from the shrimp, leaving the shell of the tail on. Discard the shells.

Step 6

Pat the shrimp dry, and sprinkle it with additional kosher salt and few squirts from lemon wedges. (If serving as shrimp cocktail, go to our Shrimp Cocktail recipe for the sauce.)