Sous Vide Shrimp

Shrimp is notoriously difficult to cook; cooking shrimp in a wok, in a pan, or on the grill takes a strong sense of timing to get it right. Not enough time and the shrimp will end up under-cooked and could make you sick. Too much time and the shrimp will end up overcooked and rubbery. Getting perfect shrimp at a restaurant is hit-or-miss, and in my experience it typically misses on the side of overcooked.

With this recipe you can get perfect shrimp time after time. Your first attempt might be just barely under-cooked so you should add a minute. If you remember that adjustment then you should have a precise recipe for fantastic shrimp.

Note: for convenience, the temperatures in this recipe are already set 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) above the desired internal temperature of the shrimp.

Tools

• Sous vide cooker: this is essential, my cooker looks like a crock pot, but any kind will work
• Zip-top bags: name-brand will be better; off-brand may leak which results in lost flavor

Ingredients

• Uncooked shrimp: thawed or frozen
• Garlic Salt
• Mild-flavored oil or melted butter: I use a refined coconut oil which is liquid at room temperature

Directions

1. Start heating the sous vide to 142 degrees Fahrenheit (61 degrees Celsius)
2. Place shrimp in a single layer in a zip-top bag
3. Add some of the mild-flavored oil or butter to the bag
4. Add garlic salt to taste
5. Drive out the air from the shrimp-and-oil-filled zip-top bag by submerging all but the zipper in warm water 
1. The oil/butter is there to fill in the gaps instead of leaving bubbles next to the shrimp
2. Warm water should help keep the butter melted because it will congeal against cold or frozen shrimp
3. It's important to get as much air out of the bag as possible (see "Notes" below)
6. Seal the zip-top bag
7. Submerge the sealed bag in the sous vide
8. Once the sous vide is up to temperature, set a timer for 8 minutes (12 minutes if the shrimp is frozen)
9. When the timer is finished, remove the zip-top bag from the cooker
10. Enjoy!

Notes

Getting air out of the bag

Shrimp has a lot of crevices and it can be difficult to get all the bubbles out. Not only can bubbles prevent sections of the shrimp from cooking thoroughly, but bubbles can make the bag float which will cause the shrimp too cook from one side instead of two. Cooking on one side will make it take longer to cook the shrimp, and if only part of the bag is floating then you will likely end up with inconsistently-cooked shrimp.

To prevent bubbles I would recommend using more oil/butter than you might be comfortable with. You should use quite a bit more oil/butter than the minimum amount necessary to coat the shrimp. When filled, the zip-top bag should not be thicker than the shrimp; You should not need to use more oil/butter than what would make the bag that thickness. I personally use about 2/3 of the oil needed to get to an even thickness.

Sometimes I will use a spoon to weight the bag down, but you should only do this if water can still circulate around the bag (e.g. there is a rack under the bag).

Barely Cooked Shrimp

I like my shrimp to be just tender, but you might have a preference for barely-cooked shrimp. If you want that, then set your sous vide to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) and cook the shrimp however long it takes to get the center of the shrimp to 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius). You'll need a meat thermometer to measure this.

Firm shrimp

On the other hand, if you want firm shrimp, then set your sous vide to 178 degrees Fahrenheit (81 degrees Celsius) and cook it for 4-5 minutes (6-8 minutes if frozen).