New Year’s Eve and the arrival of the New Year are approaching. A key Christmas stop in which seafood will not be missing in many homes and restaurant menus in this farewell to 2023 and also in the welcome of 2024.
Prawns, crayfish, prawns, spider crabs, lobsters, barnacles, crabs, sea octopus or octopus, whether fresh or frozen and depending on pockets, have a privileged place on many tables on these special days. But, to enjoy these sea delicacies to the fullest, it is important to know how to cook them correctly.
The ideal is to be able to cook the seafood with sea water or, failing that, with salt water (between 40 and 60 grams per liter). The use of bay leaf is optional; There are those who advocate adding a leaf to gain aroma and enhance the flavors and there are those who choose to enjoy the flavor of seafood in the most natural way possible, without bay leaves. In any case, seafood should always be cooked with plenty of water.
A rule of thumb is to know the differences between cooking live seafood and dead seafood. If it is alive (something that is obvious and raids your pockets), it is advisable to cook it when you have just bought it. You have to put it in the pot with cold water. Then we turn on the fire and little by little they will heat up; Once the water boils, it should not take long to remove the seafood (respecting the cooking times), reserving it later so that it cools and the meats remain curdled.
If the seafood is dead, it should be cooked when the water is already boiling, respecting the cooking times.
While the seafood is cooking, some experts prepare a brine with water, salt and ice in a dish to place the pieces, already cooked, for 2-5 minutes so that the cooking stops and the food takes on body. If it is not consumed immediately, the seafood can be covered and placed in the refrigerator for one or two hours.
If we have frozen seafood, it is advisable to defrost it in the refrigerator between 7 and 14 hours, depending on the size and quantity of the pieces. If you put it directly from the freezer into boiling water, it will lose flavor, it will take longer to cook, and the meat will stick to the shell.
However, some brands of frozen prawns indicate that they can be placed directly in boiling water, as long as too many pieces are not placed in the pot or casserole at the same time. As soon as the water boils again, just wait between two and three minutes before removing the prawns and adding them to a bowl of water and ice to stop their cooking.
Regarding the usual frozen peeled shrimp, it is also recommended to defrost them in the refrigerator for a few hours beforehand. If due to carelessness or lack of foresight we do not have that time, you can always put the shrimp in a plastic bag and put it in warm water for about 10 minutes. Once thawed, they can be grilled or cooked; If we choose the second option, we put the pieces in boiling water and we will take them out as soon as they rise to the surface.