Poached shrimp is a way to get perfectly cooked shrimp and it pairs so well with green goddess salad.
I love shrimp. My first real experience with shrimp was when my family took a road trip to Biloxi, Mississippi back in the 1960s. I recall going to a small restaurant that was right on the water, and they had a tank of live shrimp where you could watch them grab some shrimp, then come back 15 minutes later with beautifully battered fried shrimp. It was to die for. I don’t think that any of the shrimp that I have had since has been that good. It’s a wonderful memory.
How to Poach Shrimp
Since that time, I have cooked lots of shrimp. You cannot overcook shrimp, otherwise, it will become rubbery and tough. Saute them in butter or sprinkle the shrimp with blackening seasoning and cook until it turns pink through and through. That is my normal way to prepare shrimp and I’d never considered poaching shrimp in water. Turns out that this method produced very tender shrimp that worked great with this salad.
Poaching shrimp is also a great way to have a shrimp cocktail like this Shrimp cocktail with pickled daikon radish. It is a very yummy appetizer.
Prepare the poaching water by combining the flavorful ingredients and stirring them to bring to a boil. You will start to smell the delicious scents coming from the lime and parsley and bay leaves.
Using a very sharp knife or small scissors, cut the shrimp back shell then cut into the shrimp about 1/4 inch to expose the vein which you want to remove. Some shrimp have a very pronounced vein and some don’t. These shrimp were pretty devoid of a vein. Leave the shells on when you poach the shrimp as the shell provides subtle flavors that are lost otherwise.
You can also find frozen shell-on shrimp that has already been cut open and deveined and these are quite easy to use. These are called EZ-peel and they are pretty easy to find at your grocery store.
If you are using frozen shrimp, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or place the shrimp in room temperature water until thawed which will take 15 or 20 minutes.
Once the water has been boiling for several minutes in order to develop flavors from the aromatics, remove the pot from the burner. Wait one minute and then put the shrimp into the hot water and let steep for 2 to 3 minutes. You can tell when the shrimp is cooked by the color of the flesh. A pinkish opaque is what you are looking for and there is no longer any gray.
Remove the shrimp from the water with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider and place them on a plate that has some paper toweling on it. Put the shrimp into your refrigerator to cool. 30 to 45 minutes should be enough. You could also put them in your freezer for 10 minutes.
Blend the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and also put this into the refrigerator to cool.
Once the poached shrimp are cooled, peel the shells from the shrimp. Assemble the salad ingredients, plate, and serve.
This green goddess salad with poached shrimp is an excellent light meal.
Here are some more tasty recipes to try:
- Shrimp Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing
- One-pan Orzo Shrimp and Tomatoes
- Poached Egg Breakfast Muffin
- Tomato Spinach Pasta with Spicy Shrimp
- Shakshuka
Poached Shrimp with Green Goddess Salad
Ingredients
Poaching Liquid
- 2 to 2 1/2 qts. water
- 6 or 8 peppercorns
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves , crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lime , sliced
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley , coarse chopped
Shrimp
- 12 oz. shell on 16 to 20 size shrimp
Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves
- 3 chopped green onions
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp anchovy paste
- 1 garlic clove
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 head of Romaine lettace , washed
- 1/2 sliced cucumber
- 1/2 medium red onion , slices
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 red or yellow sweet pepper, julienned
Instructions
- Devein the shrimp by cutting the back down to the tail with a sharp knife or small scissors. Cut into the shrimp about 1/4 inch and remove the dark vein if present.
- Mix the ingredients for the poaching liquid in a 3 quart saucepan. Stir together and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, remove from the heat and let set for 1 minute.
- Then, place shrimp in the water and poach for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is white or pink and there is no gray fresh.
- Remove the shrimp from the water with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Then, cool the shrimp in your refrigerator for 30 minutes or in your freezer for 10 minutes.
- In a food processor, place dressing ingredients and puree until well blended, (45 seconds).
- Taste and add salt and pepper to flavor.
- Store in refrigerator to cool, (30 minutes)
- Chop salad ingredients and assemble on a plate, coating with the dressing and finishing with the shrimp.
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimate for shrimp and salad with about 3 tablespoons of dressing.
- Leftover dressing can be stored in a lidded jar refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Green goddess dressing is wonderful and so easy to make. You could leave out the anchovy paste, but it really adds a lot of umami flavor. Buy it in a tube so it’s easy to use; you refrigerate what you don’t need until the next time you need it and it keeps for many months in the frig.