Beer Poached Shrimp

With the coming of warm weather we're all watching our waist lines a little closer. I've also been breaking out a few cool make ahead meals too. Boiled shrimp is just the ticket!

I have a few issues with boiling shrimp. I'm never quite sure how much to salt the water! Some shrimp is really salty and others are really bland. Then of course there's the fact that a lot of it gets over cooked just waiting for it to "come back to a boil." Oh and if you have to go help a screaming child you know it's going to over cook in about 30 seconds! Who likes shrimp jerky?

What about a kinder and gentler cooking method? I was watching Alton Brown poach some fish and started to wonder . . . about shrimp.

These packets of goodness have been on sale a LOT lately. Thank you Lenten Season! I like them because they make a cut down the back and clean out the digestive track for you. Ick!

We need a flavorful poaching liquid! So let's start out with these lemon wedges I had in the fridge! Since I'm using a nice big 12 inch skillet I would normally slice a lemon thinly for this but the wedges will do since I cut them up last night for dinner. I threw in a couple of bay leaves too!

Some peppercorns too! Red pepper flakes would be delicious in addition but I was feeding a few friends . . .

I thought I was done so I threw my shrimp in! They're bigger ones 26-30's. Did you know that means there's 26-30 per pound? Helps to know if you're making shrimp cocktails!

Ooops! I forgot shrimp's best friend, garlic! Throw a couple of those in there too. If you don't want to peel them just rinse them off and give them a bang with a knife so the poaching liquid can mingle with the garlicky goodness.

Some thyme leaves too! Don't forget the thyme! Normally, I'd throw in some fresh thyme still on the stems but mine is just coming up and isn't quite ready for me to start harvesting it. :(  I am going to add my shrimp to another recipe and it needs to look nice so I'm wrapping my thyme up in some cheese cloth.

Now for some flavorful poaching liquid . . . you want a mild beer. My hubby and I call this "camping" beer. You can drink it all day while camping and don't have to supplement with water because its so weak! Okay that's OUR theory at least. Now if you want to substitute an actual flavorful craft beer I would recommend ,using a cup of beer and adding a half cup of water to it. I'm thinking a Boulevard Zon or a Pale Ale might be nice. This is a lovely application for any of your standard Budweiser, Miller, or Coors products too! You know if somebody leaves one at your house . . .

Pour it in and turn the heat on low! Yes, LOW! We want to avoid a boil for as long as possible. I unloaded the dishwasher, and did a Sudoku puzzle while this was warming. For those of you worried about bacteria and other organisms does it comfort you to know that 140 deg F for 5 minutes has killed just about everything dangerous in it?

Look it practically covers it! I do this with up to two lbs of shrimp. By the time the shrimp thaws it's all under the beer. Stir it periodically. You want to get the shrimp thawed out good before it starts to cook. Oh and salt! Add about half a teaspoon or even better add a teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning. If a seasoning has been around for 60 years you know they're onto something!

It's all thawed! That only took 10 minutes or so.

Look! It's starting to get pink! If you can turn your heat any lower do it. Slow and steady wins the prize!

They're all pink and firm now so I fished them out with a strainer! At this point if you have no other plans you can just cover them with some plastic wrap and throw them in the fridge to chill.

They babies are sweet, juicy, shrimpy deliciousness! They taste of the salt and the sea. They're done all the way through yet they're tender because you didn't over cook them.

I'm going to use the poaching liquid and the shells to make a nice shrimp stock. These shrimp are actually headed to a shrimp salad today. They're perfect for it because they pack a punch of shrimpy flavor. Besides, how else can you economically feed four adults shrimp as an entree?

Beer Poached Shrimp

1-2 lbs frozen raw shrimp
1 light beer, 12 oz size (or 1 cup craft beer with 1/2 cup of water added)
1/2 a lemon, sliced
1-2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
3 cloves garlic, smooshed
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning or 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together and cook over low heat until shrimp are pink and firm.  (It should never reach a boil!)