I just impulse-purchased a bag of frozen shrimp at the grocery store, and realized i have no idea how to use them.
No one else here eats seafood. So my goal is to have a few for lunch from time to time.
Defrost a few overnight in the fridge each time? Pull them from the bag right before eating and nuke them? Leave some in the fridge on spec (how long do they keep defrosted?) something else?
Don’t need answer fast. For now, I’m tucking the whole bag in the freezer.
I do not have a ready answer (even though I love shrimp) but here is a YouTube search that offers some ideas (more than one). Might be worth a look (be sure to scroll down to see what advice is on offer):
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=what+can+you+do+with+frozen+shrimp
ETA: Shell on or shell off? De-veined or not? Those details can matter. I assume shelled and de-veined. Also, size. Those little mini ones or big jumbo ones?
I use them in different recipes, so I defrost some in the fridge overnight and then add them to whatever recipe calls for them. If I have leftovers, I put them in a plastic container and reheat them the next day. From my experience, they can last uncooked in the fridge for at least a few days without any issues.
Put whatever you want in a bowl, put it in the sink and let cold water run over it (overflowing into the sink). They’ll be thawed in few/10 minutes.
Don’t nuke them unless you like the consistency of pencil erasers.
This. Then proceed as you wish. If they have shells on and/or require deveining, do it before you carry on with your final product.
To clarify, they are ready to eat (no shell, no veins) and i don’t plan to cook anything with them, or make any dishes. My plan is to throw a couple on my plate, along with other odds and ends, and call that lunch. They are large, if it matters.
Oh, already cooked, too, sounds like. Treatment to defrost is the same.
Yup, already cooked.
Thanks. I guess the answer is that come lunchtime, i should grab what i want, put them in the sink under running water, prepare the rest of my meal, and then shake the water off the shrimp.
That would be about perfect. I’d probably give them a few dabs with a paper towel, too.
Seconding this… except, 10 mins? More like 2-3 mins in my experience. I usually have a bag in the freezer. I’ll defrost a cupful and toss them in a salad for protein.
Hopefully, all the radioactive frozen shrimp has been found and removed from stores by now.
Grab a small jar of red cocktail sauce for dipping. We have cold ready-to-eat shrimp with that as a side dish/a little protein pretty frequently. Check ingredients for gluten, if relevant.
In or near the cold case with packaged sliders and grab-and-go sandwiches, many Safeways have ready-to-eat shrimp and sauce of good quality for a reasonable price. (No glowing or turning into a Supershrimp upon ingestion noted.)
ETA: …yet.
Mayonaise also works
If not, I hope it turns me into the equivalent of Spiderman.
I’ve been known to mix mayo and ketchup together.
A Fast Times at Ridgemont High Fan I see 
I use them occasionally. To defrost I just put them in a small bowl and submerge them in water (not running, as I live in California). Within a few minutes they are all defrosted and ready to use, but still ice cold. You can mix up a cocktail sauce with ketchup and horseradish - that way you can adjust the heat level to your liking. I will just have them as a snack with the cocktail sauce, or toss them in a bowl of noodle soup, or a salad.
I tend to keep a couple of bags of frozen, deveined, tail-removed shrimp in the freezer. If I’m having ramen for lunch, I’ll drop a few in the carton before adding the boiling water. They cook really fast, and by the time the noodles are soft they’re done as well.
Water temperature, size of the shrimp, how cold they are to begin with, how fast the water is flowing, how many are being thawed at once etc etc etc are all going to make a difference. I agree 2-3 minutes will probably do it, but I didn’t want to guess and 10 minutes seemed safe, regardless of the variables.
I usually just rinse mine in a colander, let them sit for a few minutes, give another quick rinse to finish defrosting, then dry before use. I buy mine shelled and deveined but cook them myself. Lemony shrimp salad with dill is a favorite meal.