Heat oven to 400 degrees, combine ingredients that will be used with shrimp. It can be a casserole style dish, or a coating or sauce over the shrimp. Add the shrimp as the last ingredient. Bake, in casserole, or in a single layer uncovered for 30 to 25 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

Shrimp are blanched for use as Sushi. To blanche shrimp, fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water for each pound of shrimp. Bring to a rolling boil. Put the shrimp in the water and cook one minute for large shrimp, 15 seconds for small shrimp. Remove immediately and plunge the shrimp in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (4 cups of water per pound of shrimp). Shrimp can be peeled and deveined with tail on, or cooked in the shell.

When the water has reached a rolling boil, put the shrimp in. Stir to separate the shrimp and make sure it is completely immersed in the water.

Turn off the stove, and continue cooking the shrimp, one minute for small, and 3-4 minutes for large shrimp. Check for doneness by taking out one shrimp and cutting it through the thickest part of the meat. Shrimp should be opaque throughout.

Remove the pot immediately from the stove, drain the shrimp through a sieve, and plunge the shrimp into a container of ice water. Swirl the shrimp around until it is cool to the touch. Then drain it immediately. This procedure keeps the shrimp from continuing to cook, and becoming tough.

If the shrimp were peeled and deveined prior to cooking, put the shrimp in a tightly covered container and place it in the cooler. If the shrimp need to be peeled and deveined, do so before storing.

Heat broiler oven, place shrimp in a pan, brush with liquid, and place under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once during the cooking process.

Shrimp shells, heads, and broken pieces can be used to make shrimp butter that gives extra flavor to seafood sauces, pasta dishes, etc. Save the shells in a plastic bag in the freezer until you have enough or until you are ready to make the butter. For intense flavor, bake the shrimp shells on a baking sheet in a 375 degree oven for approximately 8 minutes. Cut or chop into small pieces. Place them in a double boiler with butter (one pound of shrimp shells to one cup of unsalted butter) and heat until the butter has turned a golden reddish brown. Use within two days.

Ceviche is fish or shellfish marinated in citrus juice (lemon or lime) until "cooked". 1/4 to 1/2 cup of juice is needed per pound of shrimp. Combinations of ingredients are many. Marinating time is a matter of preference -- anywhere between 1 hour and 24 hours works best. The marinating should take place in a glass or stainless steel container and the shrimp should be stirred occasionally during the marinating process.

Shrimp is coated in an egg /milk mixture, dipped in a breading mixture, and cooked in enough hot vegetable oil to completely immerse the shrimp. Deep fry a few shrimp at a time. Coating should be crisp and shrimp should be cooked through. Cooking time should be a maximum of three minutes for large shrimp with medium coating.

Rinse shrimp well and pat dry. May be in the shell or peeled and deveined. Use marinade or brush with on the grill.
For large shrimp, place directly on grill.
For medium shrimp - grill on skewers - 1/2 inch apart.
For small shrimp - use a basket that can be set on the grill.

Cook for approximately two minutes per side for large shrimp, less time for medium and small shrimp. Shrimp is done when it is opaque and not quite firm. It will finish cooking as you take it off the grill.

Tip: Shrimp shells may burn and impart an unpleasant flavor or odor to the shrimp. Grilled shrimp are best when peeled and deveined, tail-on. Crimp a piece of tin foil around the tail prior to grilling, and remove the foil just before serving.

Tip: Different methods of skewering.

1. Skewer through the thick (neck) end of the shrimp then through the thin (tail) end of the shrimp. May be alternated or facing the same direction.

2. Line up several shrimp and pass one skewer through all of them near the head. Put another skewer through the tail ends.

Shrimp should be peeled, deveined and steamed or boiled.
Shrimp are combined with pickling ingredients and stored in an airtight glass container (jar).

Cold pickling ingredients
Ingredients can include sliced onions, oil, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, sugar, capers lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, hot sauce and bay leaves.

Hot pickling ingredients
Ingredients can include thinly sliced lemons, dried red chiles or pepper flakes, peppercorns, cloves, kosher salt, flat beer, peeled garlic.

Shallow Poaching - cook the shrimp using a combination of steam and a liquid bath. The shrimp is partially submerged in a liquid that contains an acid such as lemon juice or wine, and aromatics, such as shallots and herbs. The cooking container is covered to retain the steam released by the liquid during cooking. A significant amount of flavor is imparted from the cooking liquid to the shrimp. Make the poaching liquid, bring it to a simmer, and add the shrimp. The liquid should cover about half the shrimp. Turn the shrimp once during cooking. Cooking time should be three minutes or less. Remove the shrimp and reduce the cooking liquid and use it as a sauce base to pour over the shrimp for serving.

Because of the high moisture content of shrimp, the technique of salting or brining can be used to give them a crunchy texture. This takes some surface moisture out of the shrimp, and makes them crispy.

The leaching technique is used after the shrimp is peeled.

Here we are using peeled and deveined shrimp, leaving the tail on. Sprinkle the shrimp with two teaspoons of kosher salt per pound and toss them to distribute the salt evenly. Let stand for one minute. Rinse the shrimp and drain it thoroughly.

Brining can be used with either peeled and deveined shrimp or shell on shrimp. Here we are using shrimp that is still in the shell.

Dissolve sea or kosher salt and sugar in boiling water. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add ice water and cool. Stir in the shrimp and refrigerate for 30 minutes (for peeled shrimp) and one hour for shell on shrimp.

Drain, rinse and pat dry.
We will continue then with a recipe using this shrimp.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches. Remove shrimp from ice bath and dredge or dip them in flour. Shake off excess flour and carefully fry 4-5 shrimp at a time until golden brown turning shrimp; about 2 minutes. Keep shrimp warm until all are cooked.

Place the shrimp on a platter and serve with Tartar Sauce.

Use a medium to medium-high heat. Use a large skillet. Use oil, or butter, salt, pepper, and lemon juice as basic ingredients. After cooking medium becomes hot, add shrimp and cook about 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Tip: Don't put too many shrimp in the skillet at once, or it will release too much moisture and will steam instead of sautéing.

Scampi is an Italian name for small lobster- like crustaceans. They are also called langostinos, Dublin Bay Prawns, or lobsterettes. True scampi are rare in the U.S.

The term scampi has come to mean shrimp that are sautéed with butter and garlic, a style of cooking most often used for true scampi.

This method requires a steamer basket in a large pot over boiling liquid. The liquid can contain many different types of ingredients. Add enough liquid to almost reach the bottom of the steamer. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp in layers, sprinkling each layer with seasoning. Cover tightly and cook until the shrimp turn pink, about three minutes, depending on size and the amount of shrimp being cooked.

Place a wok or skillet over high heat and add cooking oil. Cook the shrimp until just opaque, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cook other ingredients, and return the shrimp to the pan, cooking one additional minute, enough to heat through and combine with sauce.

Seafood dishes that are cooked with stock have more flavor if the stock is made with shrimp shells. Shells, broken pieces, and shrimp heads can be saved in a plastic bag in the freezer until enough have accumulated or you are ready to make stock. The shells from a pound of shrimp will flavor approximately 2-4 cups of stock.

Stock can be as simple as adding shrimp shells, heads and broken pieces to water, or to unsalted chicken stock, or other ingredients such as onion, carrot, celery parsley, bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns can be added for additional flavor.

Tip: Stock can be frozen, or refrigerated up to 2 days before use.

Tip: Some chefs recommend baking the shells prior to making stock, for a more intense flavor. Cook shells in single layer on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for about 8 minutes.

Stuffed shrimp is a popular dish across all regions of the United States, and a staple on most menus.

Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on. Cut shrimp almost in half lengthwise. Open shrimp and flatten. Cook in boiling water for one minute. Drain and place in shallow pan.

Here we are making a crabmeat stuffing, but it can be a sausage stuffing, vegetable stuffing, or anything you'd like.

To make the stuffing, cook onion, green pepper, and celery in butter until they are tender.

In a bowl, combine crabmeat, egg, crushed crackers, mayonnaise, prepared mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and ground red pepper. Now stir in the vegetable mixture. Top each shrimp with the crabmeat stuffing, and sprinkle it with paprika. Drizzle melted butter over the top, and bake it, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, basting twice with drippings from the pan.

Sushi is a popular appetizer item across all types of menus. While most seafood is served raw in sushi, some of it is cooked or partially cooked.

Shrimp for sushi is cooked in the shell, and is placed on a skewer to prevent it from curling during cooking. The skewer is threaded through the shrimp through the abdominal section. Place the shrimp in boiling water and turn off the stove. Stir the shrimp until it is pink and opaque. Plunge the shrimp in ice water to stop overcooking. Drain them and remove the skewers. Now peel and devein the shrimp leaving the tail on. Cut the shrimp open on the abdominal side and open it out. Remove the vein along the center and open it out, butterfly style.

Dab wasabi in the center of the shrimp. Then take some sticky rice and lay it on the shrimp, pressing it lightly into the full length of the shrimp. Turn the sushi over so that the shrimp is on top and press the sides together. And, it is ready to serve on a traditional plate, with chopsticks and a small bowl for wasabi and soy sauce.

Shrimp is battered in a mixture of rice flour and baking powder, egg and very cold water.

Melt vegetable shortening in a heavy saucepan or deep fryer. Dip each shrimp in the batter before placing in the hot oil. Deep fry until golden; approximately 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a wire rack.

Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all the shrimp are ready to serve.

Tip: Rice flour is used for tempura because it does not contain gluten, which tends to give dough made from wheat its strength and structure. Rice flour is light and lacey.

Cook only a few shrimp at a time to avoid "cooling" the cooking oil.