Inledning
Shrimp cooked by traditional methods can be fantastic, but nailing the perfect temperature requires precision. Let them cook just a few seconds too long — whether poaching, searing, or grilling — and they go from tender and plump to rubbery and tough. With an Anova Precision® Cooker, you don’t have this issue because that short window of time between perfect and overcooked stretches out to a good half hour or so.
Sous vide also allows you to achieve textures that you can’t really achieve through more traditional methods. These textures aren’t necessarily better or worse per se, they’re just different, which in our book makes sous vide a useful technique to add to your arsenal.
Sous Vide Shrimp Basics
The great thing about cooking shrimp sous vide is that they come out super sweet and shrimpy-tasting because you are not diluting or washing away flavor with extra liquid. And they’re easy to prepare.
Traditional sous vide shrimp consists of a single one-phase cooking process:
- Tätning the shrimp in a plastic bag and matlagning till önskad sluttemperatur i ett temperaturreglerat vattenbad.
- The temperature of the sous vide bath during the initial cooking phase is what determines the final texture of the shrimp.
- Serving the shrimp hot or chilled.
If you’d prefer to introduce new sous vide techniques into your arsenal, you can also use the Anova Precision™ Oven to prepare sous vide shrimp. Because of the way we’ve designed the temperature sensors and humidity control, the oven will precisely maintain the cooking temperature you set. Simply set the time and temp on the Precision™ Oven just as you would with a Precision® Cooker.
It’s worth mentioning that you can cook your shrimp with or without their shells; shell-on shrimp will be even more flavorful, but you’ll either have to shell them afterwards or have your guests do it at the table. If you do cook the shrimp with their shells, add five minutes to the minimum cooking times.
Temperatur och tidsinställning
Existing guides for sous vide shrimp are all over the place in terms of temperature and timing, so we decided to test temperature at 5°F intervals ranging from 115°F (46°C) up to 150°F (66°C). We found that any lower than 125°F (52°C) and the shrimp stay unpleasantly soft and mushy. Above 140°F (60°C), they start to become tough and rubbery. The 125°F (52°C) to 140°F (60°C) range is the sweet spot.
On the lower end of that scale, the shrimp remain slightly translucent inside and have a very soft, almost buttery texture, somewhere between a poached shrimp and raw shrimp ceviche, but without the unpleasant sliminess of completely raw shrimp. At 140°F (60°C), you end up with shrimp that have the texture of traditionally poached shrimp.
Here are our recommendations:
- Translucent and semi-raw with a soft, buttery texture: 125°F (52°C)
- Nearly opaque and very tender with a hint of firmness: 130°F (54°C)
- Barely opaque, moist, juicy, and tender: 135°F (57°F)
- Traditional poached texture with good bounce and a snappy, juicy bite: 140°F (60°C)
As for timing, about 20 minutes is enough to cook the shrimp through completely. You can leave them in the water bath anywhere up to an hour or so with no ill effect.
Traditionell Sous Vide
We do not recommend sous vide express for shrimp.
| Temperatur i ugn eller vattenbad | Sondtemperatur | Tid | Textur |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125°F (52°C) | 125°F (52°C) | 20 minutes to 1 hour | Translucent and semi-raw with a soft, buttery texture |
| 54°C (130°F) | 54°C (130°F) | 20 minutes to 1 hour | Nearly opaque and very tender with a hint of firmness |
| 135°F (57°F) | 135°F (57°F) | 20 minutes to 1 hour | Barely opaque, moist, juicy, and tender |
| 60°C (140°F) | 60°C (140°F) | 20 minutes to 1 hour | Traditional poached texture with good bounce and a snappy, juicy bite |
Sous Vide Shrimp, Step by Step
Steg 1
Attach a Precision® Cooker to a water bath and heat to your desired final doneness temperature or preheat the Precision™ Oven to your desired temperature.
Steg 2
In a large bowl, toss shrimp with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon baking soda.
Steg 3
If cooking using traditional sous vide methods, place the shrimp in a heavy duty zipper-lock bag or a vacuum bag. If desired, add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30ml) olive oil or butter and aromatics. Remove all air from the bag using the water displacement method or a vacuum sealer. Press shrimp into a single layer. Transfer to the water bath.
Steg 4
If cooking in the Anova Precision™ Oven, place the shrimp on a sheet pan. Place in the oven.
Steg 5
Cook the shrimp according to the time and temp for your desired level of doneness. Serve.
A Closer Look at Seasoning Sous Vide Shrimp
Traditionally poached shrimp, like the kind you’d serve in a shrimp cocktail, lose some of their flavor to their poaching liquid. It gets leached out and dumped down the drain. For this reason, it’s common to use a court bouillon — a quick stock flavored with lemon, wine, and aromatics — which adds back some much-needed flavor. A court bouillon is fast to make, but it requires several ingredients. The beauty of sous vide is that when placed in a plastic bag, shrimp lose very little flavor and come out tasting extra-shrimpy and flavorful without the need for flavorings.
But that’s not to say that you can’t add other aromatics if you’d like. Cooking sous vide affords you the opportunity to infuse the shrimp with flavor while they cook.
It could be as simple as some good extra-virgin olive oil or butter along with some fresh aromatics like garlic, shallot, parsley, or tarragon. Or you can get more creative, like this Spanish-style shrimp method:
How to Make Sous Vide Spanish-Style Shrimp
Start by infusing plenty of extra-virgin olive oil with sliced garlic over low heat until the garlic is tender but not browned, then add a couple of dried bay leaves and some smoked paprika. As soon as the paprika smells nice and toasty, add splashes of sherry and sherry vinegar, along with a couple pats of butter.
Dump this flavorful liquid into the bag with the shrimp and cook.
If you want an extra flourish, you can preheat a cast iron skillet on the stovetop and empty the contents of the bag directly into it. Make sure your guests are ready to eat as soon as the sizzling platter hits the table, and don’t forget some bread to sop up the delicious sauce!
Getting a Snappy Texture
For shrimp that are tender and plump, with a snappy, springy bite, add baking soda with the salt. Creating an alkaline environment for the shrimp makes them plumper and firmer after cooking. Letting them brine in this mixture for 30 minutes before cooking makes it even better.