Five Minutes from Raw to Party Platter
Steaming is the Chesapeake way with shrimp: fast, gentle, and built for seasoning. Raw jumbo Gulf shrimp go from grey to pink before the cocktail sauce is out of the refrigerator.
The Method
- Add 2 in of water to the bottom of a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Place a steam basket in the pot and load the shrimp into the basket, keeping them out of the water.
- Sprinkle generously with Harbour House seafood seasoning and cover with a lid.
- Steam about 4 to 5 minutes after steam rolls out from under the lid. Cook until the shrimp are pink or orange outside and pearly and opaque throughout.
Serve hot or chilled with cocktail sauce. Times vary with shrimp size, so use the clock as a guide and check the flesh before serving. FoodSafety.gov advises cooking shrimp until the flesh is pearly or white and opaque.
Why Steam Instead of Boil?
Boiled shrimp cook in the water and leave some of their seasoning and sweetness behind in the pot. Steamed shrimp cook above it, so the spice stays put and the texture stays snappy. It is the same logic Marylanders apply to blue crabs, applied to a five-minute shellfish.
Watch: Steaming Shrimp
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I steam shrimp that are already cooked?
Our steamed and seasoned shrimp only need a brief warm-up or can be served cold. The method above is for raw shrimp.
How many shrimp per person?
For a party platter, plan about Ā¼āĀ½ lb per guest depending on what else is served. Jumbo 16ā20 count shrimp make each piece a two-bite affair.
What else can the seasoning do?
The same shaker covers crabs, fries, corn and eggs; browse the seasoning collection for the whole lineup.
