How Long To Boil Shrimp

For anyone who loves seafood, boiling shrimp is a delicious and easy way to enjoy this wonderful food. But if you want to know how long to boil shrimp, the answer is not always the same. Depending on the size and type of shrimp being cooked, the length of time can vary considerably. Here’s a breakdown of the different cooking times for perfect boiled shrimp.

Small to Medium Shrimp: Boil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Certain smaller varieties of shrimp, such as bay shrimp, should only take about 2 minutes to cook.

Large Shrimp: Boil for about 5 to 6 minutes. Jumbo shrimp, or any large shrimp, should take slightly longer at 7 minutes or so.

Deveined (Shell On): Boil for about 6 to 8 minutes. Remember that deveined shrimp still have the shells on, so they will require a little bit of extra time.

Deveined and Shelled: Boil for 4 to 5 minutes. If the shrimp have already been deveined and their shells have been removed, they don’t need as much time.

It should also be noted that you will want to adjust the timings if you’re cooking fewer shrimp. If you’re only cooking one or two shrimp, try reducing the boiling time by 30 seconds or so. Conversely, if you are cooking a large batch, you will want to add an extra minute or two to ensure that your shrimp are cooked properly.

When boiling shrimp, it can be difficult to tell when they’re done. The best way to test them is to remove one and cut it into segments. The shrimp are perfectly cooked when they’re firm and no longer translucent. An overcooked shrimp will have a rubbery texture and an undercooked shrimp may still have a slightly squishy texture.

By using these cooking times as a guideline, you should be able to create perfectly cooked shrimp every time. Enjoy!