Can frozen shrimp be poached?

The short answer is yes. I would defrost them first but if you forget, then just poach them a minute or two longer. See the above section for more information.

Can I freeze the shells and make shrimp stock later?

Yup! Throw shrimp shells in the freezer for a couple months in a ziploc bag.

How To Poach Shrimp Synopsis:

Optional : peel and devein shrimp. Cook shrimp at a low simmer for a couple minutes until done. Blanch shrimp (cool down) in an ice water bath in a ziploc bag so the spices don't wash off. Serve with lemon wedge and cocktail sauce.

Simple and Easy Poached Shrimp Recipe and Video

Simple and Easy Poached Shrimp

Five poached pink shrimp on a little tan plate with a wedged lemon. Poached shrimp in a blue bowl on the side and also layed over some cups in the background. Lemon wedges in the background.

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This delicious, simple, and easy poached shrimp recipe is cooked with old bay seasoning and fresh lemon. Poached shrimp is served with an optional cocktail sauce.

Author: Beckie Hemmerling
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6
Category: Appetizer
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Coastal
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

~12 cups water
2 pounds shrimp, deveined
1 lemon, halved
3 bay leaves
2 Tbsp salt (this is questionably too much)
3 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning or favorite seasoning
1/2 cup cocktail sauce - optional for dippin'
1 lemon for wedge garnish

Instructions

Optional: peel and devein shrimp.
Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil.
Squeeze in lemon juice and throw in lemon halves, bay leaves, salt, and old bay seasoning.
Add shrimp and cook for 2-4 minutes or until cooked through depending on the size of the shrimp. Shrimp poached with shells on will need to be cooked longer
Place cooked shrimp in a gallon size ziploc bag and place ziploc bag in an ice water bath ~ 5 minutes or until shrimp are cooled. Move shrimp around in bag to cool down as fastly as possible. Use one ziploc bag per pound of shrimp.
Remove cooled shrimp from bag. Serve with cocktail sauce and a lemon wedge. Happy eating! Beckie

Notes

Defrost shrimp first if using frozen shrimp. Some people throw frozen shrimp in and just cook longer but it will taste better if you defrost shrimp first.
Smaller peeled shrimp take ~ 2 minutes to cook. Larger peeled shrimp take 3-4 minutes. Unpeeled shrimp will take 50-75% longer to cook 'cause of the insulation and added weight.

Find it online: https://eatsimplefood.com/easy-poached-shrimp/