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How to Cook Frozen Cooked King Prawns: Heat for 1-2 Minutes
Instructions
Get the ingredients ready: frozen cooked shell-on king prawns, salt, bay leaves, allspice and lemon juice. Large prawns are the easiest to peel at the table.
Tip the prawns into a colander and rinse them under cold water to wash off the ice glaze and any broken-off feelers and legs. The glaze is just a protective layer of ice; in the pan it would only cool the water.
Pour 2 litres of water into a large pan, cover and bring to the boil. Plenty of water comes back to the boil faster once the cold prawns go in.
Add 3 tbsp of salt to the 2 litres of water. For a short heat-through of shell-on prawns the water should taste noticeably salty, otherwise the salt has no time to soak in.
Add 3 bay leaves and 3 allspice berries, the classic spices for boiling seafood.
Pour in 1 tbsp of lemon juice for a fresh aroma and a hint of acidity.
Drop the prawns into the boiling water. There is no need to thaw them first: with frozen prawns the water just takes longer to come back to the boil.
As soon as the water boils again, cook the prawns for 1-2 minutes, very large ones for 2-3 minutes. They are already cooked and only need heating through; longer boiling dries the flesh out and makes it rubbery.
Turn off the heat and lift the prawns out straight away with a slotted spoon; do not leave them in the hot liquid. Serve hot with lemon or a sauce. Peel them at the table; the dark vein along the back is harmless and can be removed for looks.
Tips
- 1
Do not confuse frozen cooked prawns with raw ones: cooked prawns are labelled as ready to eat after thawing. Raw king prawns need 3-4 minutes; times for every type are in how long to boil shrimp.
- 2
Do not keep the prawns in boiling water for more than 2-3 minutes and do not leave them in the hot liquid: they keep heating and toughen. For a salad or cold starter, plunge them into a bowl of iced water for 1-2 minutes.
- 3
If you want them cold, there is no need to boil them at all: thaw them in the fridge for 6-12 hours and they are ready to serve.
- 4
For hot dishes such as cioppino seafood stew or tagliolini with shrimp, add frozen cooked prawns for the last 2-3 minutes, just to heat them through.
How Long to Boil King Prawns: Times
Start timing when the water comes back to the boil after the prawns go in.
| Prawns | Time after the boil |
|---|---|
| Frozen cooked thawed | 1-2 min |
| Frozen cooked straight from frozen | 2-3 min |
| Frozen cooked for salads and starters | no boiling, just thaw |
| Blanched marked on the pack | 1.5-2 min |
| Raw king prawns shell-on | 3-4 min |
| Raw king prawns peeled | 2-3 min |
| Raw tiger prawns shell-on | 4-6 min |
King prawns in shops are usually large whiteleg shrimp (vannamei): "king" is a trade name rather than a species.
How to Tell Cooked Prawns from Raw
The label is the most reliable guide: frozen prawns are sold raw, blanched or cooked, and cooked ones are labelled as ready to eat after thawing. Blanched prawns must be heated for 1.5-2 minutes, raw ones cooked through.
Cooked prawns are pink-orange with firm white flesh; raw ones are grey or bluish-grey and translucent. Colour can mislead, though: Argentine red shrimp are red even when raw, so the label decides.
How to Thaw Frozen Cooked Prawns
- In the fridge for 6-12 hours, in a covered bowl. After that they are ready to serve; use them within a day.
- In a sealed bag in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes: a 0.5 kg bag thaws in about an hour.
- Do not thaw them on the counter at room temperature: the surface warms up before the centre thaws.
Prawn Sizes: What the Numbers Mean
Numbers like 16/20 give the count per pound: the smaller the numbers, the larger the prawns. America's Test Kitchen calls 16/20 jumbo, 21/25 extra-large and 26/30 large. Multiply by 2.2 for the count per kilogram: 16/20 per pound is 35-44 per kg.
Check the glaze too: the protective ice adds weight, so look for the net weight without glaze on the label.
How Long Cooked Prawns Keep
Refrigerate cooked prawns within 2 hours. In a closed container at 4 °C (40 °F) or below they keep for 1-2 days: the UK Food Standards Agency advises eating leftovers within 48 hours, the FDA allows 3-4 days. Peel them just before serving. Thawed prawns are best not refrozen: the texture suffers, and many packs say "do not refreeze".
What to Serve with King Prawns
Serve hot prawns with lemon, tartar sauce, garlic sauce or soy sauce. Peeled prawns go into pasta, risotto and salads, for example pasta with shrimp in cream sauce or shrimp and pineapple pizza.
Video
FAQ
How long do you boil frozen cooked king prawns? +
1-2 minutes after the water comes back to the boil, or 2-3 minutes straight from the freezer. No longer: they are already cooked and only need heating for serving.
Do frozen cooked prawns need boiling? +
No. They are ready to eat once thawed and can be eaten cold. They are boiled to serve them hot and flavoured with spices. For pregnant women, the NHS advises heating cold ready-cooked prawns until steaming hot.
Should prawns be thawed before boiling? +
Not necessarily. Rinse off the glaze, drop them into boiling water and time them from when it boils again. To serve them cold, thaw them in the fridge.
How long do you boil raw king prawns? +
3-4 minutes in the shell after the water returns to the boil, 2-3 minutes peeled. They are done when the flesh is white and opaque and the prawn curls into a loose "C".
How can you tell cooked prawns from raw? +
By the label: cooked prawns are labelled as ready to eat after thawing. Cooked prawns are pink-orange, raw ones grey and translucent, but Argentine red shrimp are red even when raw.
Why do prawns turn out rubbery? +
They were kept in boiling water too long or left in the hot liquid. Frozen cooked prawns need only 1-2 minutes, then come straight out.
How much salt per litre of water? +
About 1.5 tbsp per litre for shell-on prawns and 1 tbsp for peeled. During a short heat-through little salt soaks in, so the water is made noticeably salty.
Do king prawns need deveining? +
It is up to you. The dark line along the back is the gut; it is tasteless and harmless. On large prawns it is usually removed for looks.
How long do cooked king prawns keep? +
1-2 days in a closed container in the fridge; the FDA allows up to 3-4 days. At room temperature no longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot weather.
What if prawns smell of ammonia? +
Do not eat them. An ammonia or sour smell and sticky slime mean the product has spoiled, and cooking will not fix it.
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