Thawing Frozen Shrimp: Thaw Thai Gold shrimp in the refrigerator overnight or in cold water allowing one to two hours per pound. For quick defrosting, thaw in a strainer under cold, running water for a few minutes, turning occasionally. Never thaw shrimp in hot water, at room temperature, or in microwave. Once thawed do not re-freeze. Best to cook while partially chilled.

Shrimp with black heads, black spots on the shell, or that have a slightly “off” smell have spoiled and must be thrown out.

Thai Gold shrimp come in a variety of processed styles for your convenience. If you purchased whole (head-on) shrimp and wish to further process it at home, you can do as follows:

Removing Heads and Shells: Pinch the head off while holding onto the body. Hold onto the tail and gently remove the legs and shell to avoid breakage. Tails can be completely detached (as in our Thai Gold peeled shrimp) or left on for presentation purposes. The shells and heads can be kept frozen to use in a stock recipe.



Cleaning or Deveining: Most shrimp usually have a dark vein on the outer curve of the body. This is the intestine or vein of the shrimp. It contains sand and waste material and should be removed before consuming. Make a shallow cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the shrimp's body. You'll see the dark ribbon-like vein running lengthwise along the shrimp's back. Remove the vein with the tip of a knife or rinse under cold running water and remove with your fingers. Thai Gold peeled and deveined shrimp use the “pin-needle” method of removing the veins and therefore you will not see a cut along the outer curve of the shrimp’s body.

Note: if you have detached the tail, you can pinch the vein at the tail end and pull it completely out with your fingers. If the shell is kept on, the veins can be removed with a slightly deeper cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the shell. This is known as “easy-peel” style.

Butterflied (Shell-On): Clip the legs off using kitchen shears. Remove the head, if there is one and start by cutting along the outer curve of the shrimp from the tail forward, making a deep cut but leave enough meat and shell intact to keep the two sides connected. Remove the vein and rinse.

Note: The shrimp can also be butterflied by making an incision on the inside curve of the shrimp, however, the shrimp tends to curl after cooking.

Butterflied (Peeled): First peel the main shell off the shrimp's body. Leaving the tail intact can lead to excellent presentation when serving. Start by cutting along the outer curve from the tail forward, making repeated shallow cuts and spreading the meat apart as you go. Leave just enough meat intact to keep the two sides connected. You will want to devein the shrimp as you are butterflying them as well.

Shrimp Cooking Tips

Always be careful to avoid over-cooking shrimp as they will toughen and lose their sweet flavour.

Thai Gold shrimp are fresh frozen, delicious and versatile. Thai Gold, an international favourite brand of shrimp, can accommodate many different hot or cold recipes.

Broiling: This method is best for butterflied or easy-peel shrimp. Season and prepare shrimp according to recipe. Broil in oven on low-medium heat for 2-5 minutes or until shrimp meat is opaque. Individual ovens may vary, test your oven and adjust cooking time as needed. Basting shrimp during broiling will help prevent burnt edges.

Boiling: This method is best for head-on, shell-on, peeled and deveined, or peeled deveined and tail-on shrimp. Bring water or soup to a boil. Put shrimp in boiling water/soup and BEGIN TIMING NOW! (3 1/2 to 4 minutes). It is not necessary to wait for water or soup to re-boil. Serve warm or chilled according to recipe.

Steaming: This method is best for head-on and shell-on shrimp. Bring water to a boil. Put shrimp in a steamer and cover. Steam for 6-8 minutes (estimated for 1 pound of 26/30 size shrimp). or until shrimp are opaque. Steaming time will vary depending on the amount and size of shrimp in steamer. Serve according to recipe.

Pan-frying: This method is suitable for all styles of shrimp. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel before cooking. Add shrimp to a hot oiled skillet, turning a few times to cook evenly. Remove from heat half cooked. Reheat skillet, add sauces and seasoning according to recipe and add partially cooked shrimp to skillet in the final stage to avoid over cooking the shrimp. Typically shrimp require only 3-5 minutes of cooking time using high heat. Once shrimp meat turns opaque, the shrimp are cooked.

Deep-frying: This method is best for peeled and deveined, peeled tail-on and peeled butterfly shrimp. Coat very cold shrimp in wet or dry batter according to recipe and add to hot oil. Fry until golden brown, turning once. Cooked shrimp will “float” to the surface of the oil once ready. Remove from hot oil and let seand on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Notes: Do not overcrowd the fryer with shrimp. Too many shrimp in the oil will reduce the temperature of the oil, resulting in soggy shrimp. For crispy results, fry a few at a time in hot oil, making sure the oil reheats before adding another batch.

Grilling: This method is best for shell on, butterfly (shell-on), head on, or peeled tail-on shrimp. Small size shrimp are best grilled using a dual skewer (two skewer sticks to prevent shrimp from rotating), or in a grilling mesh. Large size shrimp can be placed individually on the grill, skewers, or in a grill mesh. Marinate according to recipe after shrimp have been skewered. Soak skewer sticks for at least 1 hour in hot water to prevent sticks from burning. Cook shrimp in medium heat and place shrimp on oiled grills. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turning once, or until shrimp turn opaque.

Salad: This is best using peeled and deveined or peeled, deveined, tail on shrimp. Blanche the shrimp using the boil method. Run shrimp under cold running water or in bowl of iced-water to stop the cooking process. Chill and use cold in recipes.

Notes: Most small size shrimp are best used in a shrimp salad while large size tail-on shrimp are best for shrimp cocktail.

Dried Shrimp are shrimp that have been sun dried and shrunk to thumbnail size. They are primarily used in Asian cuisine for their sweet and unique flavour that is very different from fresh or frozen shrimp. Dried shrimp are used in dimsum, rice noodle rolls, stir-fries, braised dishes, or soups. Wash dried shrimp and rehydrate in warm water before using according to recipe.

See our recipes!