Cold Poached Shrimp

Directions

1. 1
   Put the shrimp in a saucepan with water to cover and a large pinch of salt.
2. 2
   Bring to a boil and turn off the heat; let the shrimp cool in the water for about 5 minutes, then rinse in cold water until cool.
3. 3
   Peel and devein if you like.
4. 4
   Serve with sauce or chill until ready to serve.
5. 5
   Almost all Shrimp are frozen before sale.
6. 6
   So unless youre in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
7. 7
   There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium dont mean much.
8. 8
   Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do.
9. 9
   Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound.
10. 10
    Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
11. 11
    On deveining: I dont.
12. 12
    You can, if you like, but its a thankless task, and there isnt one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.