TENDER SHRIMP

I don't know about you, but I've ruined a LOT of expensive shrimp over the years by not cooking it properly. In mere minutes, I have been known to turn $15 dollars worth of beautiful raw shrimp into a bowl of curly shrimp that have the mouth feel of an eraser...very frustrating!!

Not any more!! I have found the easiest, quickest, most fool proof and certainly most delicious way to cook RAW shrimp. Where has this recipe been all these years!?!?!? Am I the only one who didn't know this trick?

A QUICK 30 MINUTE BRINE
1 cup cold water
2 cups ice (I just used an ice cube tray full)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup white sugar

Mix the brine ingredients well, then add 1 to 1½ pounds of large size shrimp (roughly 25 shrimp to the pound) that have had the head and shells taken off and the vein removed (leave the tails on if you want).

Stir gently to make sure the brine reaches all of the shrimp evenly, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, drain the shrimp and rinse well under cold running water.  Drain well for a few seconds and then completely blot dry with paper towels (put back in the fridge while you heat your oven).

Pre-heat a baking sheet under your BROILER (with nothing on the pan) for a full five minutes. While the pan is pre-heating, put the shrimp in a bowl and gently toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, making sure each shrimp is coated.

After the empty pan has pre-heated for five minutes, put the shrimp on the pan (they will sizzle) and separate them so they don't touch each other and  sprinkle lightly with Old Bay seasoning (we don't like that flavor, so I just used some black pepper) but don't add salt (there is enough salt from the brine) and quickly put it back under the broiler.

Broil (about 6" away from the flame) for 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over, and broil for one more minute. Remove the shrimp, immediately, from the baking pan (or they will continue to cook and get rubbery).

Shrimp cooked with this method are extremely tender and flavorful. This is a great technique for ANY recipe that calls for pre-cooked shrimp and it will make cooking shrimp for a big family crowd a snap!!