If you are looking for a shortcut for a shrimp dish then Costco sells pre-cooked shrimp, deveined and shell off in the freezer section with the other frozen seafood options.
These pre-cooked frozen shrimp come in handy and are a pretty fair value.
How to Thaw
The instructions on the bag says that to properly thaw the shrimp you should place the bag in the refrigerator overnight. After the shrimp have slowly thawed in the refrigerator then you can rinse them off and use in your favorite recipe.
The instructions are very clear that you should not force thaw the shrimp under running water.
Of course, I ignore the instructions and force thaw the shrimp under running water.
I place the amount of frozen shrimp I want to eat into a large bowl, fill it up with cold water and let a small continuous stream of cold water run into the bowl. I stir the shrimp with a spoon after about five minutes to mix them up and they are fully thawed after ten minutes.
I like to pat the thawed shrimp dry with paper towels and then use them in my dinner.
How to Serve
These shrimp are 50-70 count which makes them Medium-Small in size. I am pretty sure that these are the same shrimp that Costco uses in their prepared meals of Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Shrimp Cocktails with Lemon wedges.
Some serving ideas include:
- Mixing with mayo, diced celery, Worcestershire sauce and Old Bay seasoning for a tasty shrimp salad.
- Stir frying with mixed vegetables.
- Adding to a kicked up bowl of Ramen noodles.
- Basting with teriyaki sauce and heating through on a grill.
- Tossing with angel hair pasta, olive oil, lemon juice, chopped parsley and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Of course, I usually follow Costco’s lead and serve them cold with cocktail sauce.
Overall Impressions
These shrimp are fine but they aren’t great.
I really appreciate that the shrimp have been deveined and peeled as this is a massive time saver. The price, currently at $7.50 per pound is reasonable.
There are a few reasons why I don’t love these shrimp.
The shrimp do not take up much flavor from marinades, etc since they are already cooked. They will always taste like shrimp that are coated with flavors as opposed to being “married” with other flavors.
The shrimp are not perfectly peeled. I am estimating that about one out of every twenty shrimp still had a section of shell attached.
The shrimp are smaller than I like. The small size of the shrimp makes them great for additions to salads, soups, etc. but they look underwhelming when served by themselves.
Overall I am happy with the purchase and will probably buy them again at some point but I certainly do not consider these to be an essential product to have in my freezer.