Foolproof way to boil easy-to-peel shrimp?

I've never tired it, but everyone I know who has says the stalekraker method works great

I've used his method as well and got varying results, all our shrimp our frozen and not fresh I'm sure this helps.

That being said, using apple cider vinegar softens the shells and makes them easier to peel.

My best results are get the water to boiling. turn it off. cool it down w/ some corn etc. THEN toss in my shrimp.

Every time I have used vinegar it seems to help vs not using it, just my opinion (which maybe shite)

I get my pot to a rolling boil with seasoning, then add about 10 lbs of shrimp. When they float, shut the pot off and add 1/2 a bag of ice. Let them soak for 5 minutes, then pull them out. Make sure to spread them out to keep from cooking. I have several plastic tubs I use. They peel easy every time.

Season your water, I use 1/3 cup powder boil to 1 gallon water.

Bring your water to a boil. Drop in the shrimp, boil them till they float, soak them till they sink.

If you want shrimp to peel easy don't boil fresh brown shrimp.

quote:

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Boiling 12/16’s and the bigger shrimp peeled pretty easily, but the smaller ones were tough as hell to peel.

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I've found the same thing if the shrimp are different sizes.

I generally boil them until I can see the shells separating from the meat then pull them. Let the water cool by dropping frozen water bottles in there (as not to dilute the seasoning). Then put the shrimp back in for a little while to soak up some seasoning.

Hard to peel means they are over cooking. If the smaller ones are overcooked, you are going too long to cook the larger ones. There will be some issues because of the inconsistency in size. Smaller ones will be hard, no real way to avoid it.

I have two small pots. I salt one pot and bring it to a boil. The other pot I season. IF I am cooking something with the shrimp like vegetables, I put them in first and bring them to a boil. Then once it is at a rolling boil, I throw in the shrimp. As soon as they water starts boiling again, I go no more than 5 minutes, then I take my basket and put them in the cold water. I let them soak for 10-15 at the longest. This cools down faster and helps with consistency. I usually only have a few that are hard to peel.

Consistency in size would make a real difference. Butter, cooking oil, vinegar, etc. and all this other stuff people put in the pot has no real effect but make your shrimp slimy. No real reason any of that would slow the cooking which is the real problem.

Also, as someone else pointed out, spread them out on the table so they don't keep cooking. I have taken them and put them in the refrigerator before, then ate them later.

I have been using the 2 pot method for a couple years and the shrimp peel perfectly every time.

First I boil my potatoes and veggies in seasoned water. When they are done I cut it off and let water cool for a little while. Maybe 20-30 mins

In my other pot I bring plain water to a rolling boil and then drop in the shrimp. I don’t time it. I boil them until the meat starts pulling away from the shells. Just keep checking. Once this occurs, I pull them out and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. I then throw them in the seasoned pot for literally as long as you want. You basically have a 1/16” gap between the meat and shells filled with seasoned water.

Perfect every time.

It seems like a lot but I typically only boil 7-10lbs of shrimp for the family so I am using just a large stock pot.

Exactly how I do it, except I drop them in the boiling salt water for two minutes then pull them.

They come out perfectly seasoned and easy to peel every time.