Yes, You Can Cook Frozen Shrimp Straight From The Freezer

Frozen food has brought the convenience of storing certain ingredients that, when fresh, have a relatively short shelf life, in particular seafood. No longer do you need to buy shrimp right from a fisherman on the docks somewhere and use it within a of couple days, but you can walk into any grocery store and pick up frozen seafood — including shrimp, which is generally the top-selling seafood item in the United States each year. Contrary to what some believe, frozen fish like salmon are just as good as fresh, and the same applies to shrimp.

With all that in mind, you may wonder whether you need to thaw your frozen shrimp before cooking them. The answer, it turns out, is no. Much like you can grill frozen shrimp without thawing them, you can cook them in a multitude of other ways directly from frozen, too. Not only can you do this because it's perfectly safe and convenient, but you should because it can help them from becoming overcooked.

The reason cooking shrimp from frozen works particularly well is that they're not very big, meaning heat can disperse through them quickly and easily. You can cook them from frozen in all sorts of ways – broil them, poach them, grill them, even sous vide them. Cooking times will vary with size, but make sure they hit an internal temp of 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooking shrimp from frozen can prevent them from being overcooked. Shrimp are low in fat, which, when coupled with their small size, means they cook quickly. Since you need to cook them until they're firm and plump and their meat turns white, it can be easy to miss the mark if you're not paying attention. When you cook from frozen, the evaporating moisture slows the cooking process on their surface enough to make it easy to cook them evenly all the way through without going overboard. You can also rinse the shrimp, but you don't need to; this ultimately will at least partially thaw them anyway.

It's also important to understand that "frozen" shrimp doesn't mean they're lower quality than "fresh." Obviously, the best possible fish is caught that day right nearby — but if you don't live in a coastal area, that's not possible. But when seafood is caught, it usually gets frozen right there at sea. When they're thawed, they're as fresh as they were when they were caught. "Fresh" shrimp have gone through this same process — only they've been thawed and put on display before they've gotten to you, so they're farther from being truly fresh than the shrimp you cook straight from frozen. That's why fresh shrimp doesn't last as long in the fridge, and frozen shrimp are often better and safer than those sold as "fresh."

Just because your shrimp is frozen doesn't mean cooking can't start until you wait out the thawing process. Use the appropriate cooking methods and adjust your timing accordingly, and all will be well.