Those who love seafood, know how delicious prawns are. Not just tasty, they are loaded with health benefits. Prawns are an excellent source of unsaturated fats that can improve blood cholesterol levels. Moreover, prawns have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids and carry other nutrients like calcium, phosphorus as well as potassium.
Prawns are fondly eaten across the world. Eating prawns might be easy but cooking prawns is definitely not. Our absolute goal while cooking prawns is to cook them somewhere between undercooked and overcooked. I know it sounds tricky, but what if I tell you that you can do this with just a few tips? Here are some tips you should keep handy while cooking prawns. Thank us later!
Defrosting prawns
It is considered ideal to completely defrost prawns before cooking. One can cover or refrigerate prawns overnight or you can defrost them in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. If you are looking for freshwater prawns of premium quality, you can find them on Licious.
Shell: on or off?
Now, this could be a personal choice. While some prefer to keep the legs, hands, and shell of bigger prawns for enhanced texture, appearance and flavour, some don’t. If you are choosing to peel the prawns, it is recommended to devein prawns before consumption to avoid a gritty taste.
Skillet, but why?
Skillet is a good choice as the prawns need to breathe while they are cooked and a skillet provides them enough space. This space allows each prawn to be in contact with the skillet. This helps in creating a good sear and cooking each one thoroughly and evenly.
Close Eye Is A Must
We all know that prawns cook so easily; thus, keeping a close eye on them is essential. You must always wait till the last minute to add prawns to the pan because they will be cooked in like 2 minutes. And if you are about to stir fry them, they will be cooked in just 60 seconds. If your prawns have curled up into an ‘O’ shape, they might be overcooked. The perfectly cooked prawns are generally in a ‘C’ letter shape.
Egg Whites And Baking Soda
If you want your prawns to be firm and crunchy, marinate them in egg whites and baking soda. This brings out the enhanced texture as the marinade’s chemical composition resembles the chemical composition of the seawater. You didn’t know this, did you?
Keep these tips handy and believe me, you will not regret it.