Fresh shrimp is not for everyone, because not everyone has proper access to fresh shrimp. The central danger is decomposition. Shrimp are delicate and can spoil quickly by simply sitting out at room temperature. Understandably, the best locations for fresh shrimp as those near the ocean, where the distance from ocean to land is shortest.
The alternative is frozen shrimp, which is both readily accessible and perfectly acceptable (and tasty). When buying the frozen variety, avoid shrimp that has been peeled and deveined. Keeping the shell on the shrimp, even when frozen, protects the meat and adds more flavor.
Buying Fresh Shrimp
Because shrimp spoils so quickly, buying fresh shrimp from the market may require some skillful navigating. Consider the following when purchasing:
- The flesh of the shrimp should be gray and white in color; pinkness means that the shrimp is not properly refrigerated..
- Common varieties are pink, brown, and white shrimp; the colors refer to the shrimps' shell, not the flesh.
- Avoid black spots on the shells, they indicate melanosis - abnormal pigmentation.
- The smell of ammonia on a shrimp is a huge red flag. Fresh shrimp should smell like salt-water.
- Heavily pitted shells are a sign of excessive chemical treatment.
Fresh shrimp can be purchased head-on, headless, and peeled. Choosing between them is dependent on the intended dish, but the shells can always be removed at home. Shrimp with the heads intact are not common in most places, but it is preferred in the use of making shrimp stock and is edible in its own right.
Deveining Shrimp
The black "vein" that runs down the back of the shrimp is actually its digestive tract. Though it is safe to poses no health dangers after cooking, it can be unpleasantly sandy and gritty to the taste, so many choose to devein shrimp before cooking. Deveining is unnecessary for smaller shrimp since the act of cutting open the shrimp would ruin the look of the meat.
To devein shrimp, take a paring knife and cut along the back, making sure not to cut too deep, but enough to expose the vein. Simply pull out the vein and move onto the next shrimp. The vein tends to be sticky and clings onto finger. Some prefer to devein shrimp in a bowl of cold water so that, when extracted, the vein will fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Small shears can also be used instead of a knife and are more effective when deveining unpeeled shrimp and cutting through shell.
Storage
The issue of storing fresh shrimp is a bit of a trick question. If you buy fresh shrimp, it is almost assumed that it will be used within the day. Buying fresh shrimp is a commitment. It is advised that the shrimp be cooked within 24 hours of purchase. If there are hours in-between buying the shrimp and actually cooking it, pack under ice and chill until ready to cook.
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