How to Make the Best Poached Shrimp

Name: How to Make Poached Shrimp
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound extra large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (see note 1); 5 cups cold water; 10 whole black peppercorns (see note 2); 5 sprigs fresh parsley; 1 large lemon, juiced; 1 large lemon, cut in half; 1 teaspoon Kosher salt; 1 bay leaf; homemade cocktail sauce

Published: Jul 26, 2021 · Modified: Jan 26, 2025 by Eileen Murphy Kelly

Jump to Recipe

Learn how to make Poached Shrimp at home any day! You'll be making the most tender shrimp at ¼ of the price of those expensive shrimp rings at the grocery store. Don't forget to make a batch of cocktail sauce for dipping.

Fresh poached shrimp on a large platter with lemon slices scattered over the platter.

Want to serve an amazing homemade shrimp cocktail platter for your next party, date night, or like me - just love to eat shrimp.

Well, I have got the easiest recipe for you to learn how to make the best shrimp. You will never need to buy an overpriced seafood platter again.

Jump to:

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
FAQS
Expert Tips
Storage Tips
Similar Recipes to Enjoy
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

This is a great base recipe for shrimp to pair with amazing dipping sauces that are always a hit.
It's affordable to purchase fresh shrimp and make your own platters at home.
You'll be able to make about 3 pounds of shrimp for 1 pound of the store made platters!

Ingredients

Fresh raw shrimp, use either jumbo 21/25 or extra large shrimp 26/30 size
Fresh garlic cloves, parsley, lemons, black peppercorns, Kosher salt, and a bay leaf all add flavor to the stock.

Instructions

This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.

If the shrimp is not already cleaned and deveined, do so! Here is a great tutorial if you aren't sure how! I try to purchase already clean and deveined shrimp.

In a large saucepan or pot, add the cold water, lemon juice, lemon halves, bay leaf, salt, and black peppercorns

Poaching water with lemon, bay leaf, parsley, lemon juice and garlic.

2. Bring the water to a rapid boil. Add the shrimp to the water. Remove the pot from the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid. Let the shrimp poach about 3 minutes. Once the shrimp turn pink, they are ready to eat.

Fresh shrimp in poaching liquid in a large Dutch oven to make amazing poached shrimp.

3. Move shrimp to an ice bath to cool about 10 minutes before serving. The shrimp in the refrigerator to cool.

Shrimp that has been poached and cooled in a large glass bowl with ice cubes.

Equipment

Dutch Oven, I love and use this one often and it's quite affordable!
Platter: Shrimp is an awesome treat and I love keeping it cold on this platter.

FAQS

How can I defrost shrimp quickly?

I always keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer. To defrost quickly, in a large bowl, add the frozen shrimp and run cold water on the shrimp. Stir occasionally, after 5 - 8 minutes, drain the water and add more cold water. Stir shrimp, they should be defrosted in about 15-20 minutes.

What is the overnight method for defrosting shrimp?

On a rare occasion, I plan ahead, and I want to defrost frozen shrimp. Place the frozen shrimp in a bowl in the fridge. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. In the morning, shrimp are ready to cook.

What does the cooking term poaching mean?

In cooking, poaching always means the food will be quickly cooked in a liquid, such as water, milk, or wine that is flavored with spices or citrus. The food is generally used in various other recipes. It's very common poaching shrimp, chicken, salmon are all popular foods that can be poached for delicious results.

Juicy fresh shrimp that has been poached and sprinkled with lemon on a large tray.

Expert Tips

Eileen's Tip: To avoid rubbery shrimp, remove the shrimp from the poaching water as soon as they turn pink.

For many shrimp recipes, such as our tasty Baja Taco Shrimp Bowls, remove the tails, however, for this recipe, leave the tails on for a gorgeous presentation.
Be sure to devein the shrimp before cooking. For a shortcut, purchase already cleaned shrimp.

Storage Tips

Whether you are defrosting shrimp or keeping fresh shrimp in the fridge, use within 1-2 days. In other words, once you have defrosted the shrimp, be ready to cook and enjoy.

Similar Recipes to Enjoy

Easy Shrimp Scampi and Spaghetti is a quick family dinner that everyone will enjoy!

A family favorite is this tasty Baked Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce

Lighter Linguine with Clam Sauce is another less than 30 minute dinner.

Love shrimp? Try our Low-CarbJambalaya is full of flavor without being full of calories.

Instant Pot Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo, another fabulous quick family dinner.

Serving Suggestions

Serve poached shrimp with dipping sauces like Homemade Cocktail Sauce.
Poached shrimp goes well in this arugula salad.
Champagne Vinaigrette is a great topping for a shrimp salad

Keep up to date with recipes by following me on:

FACEBOOKINSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, TWITTER

Thank you for the continued support. I am forever grateful.

Eileen xo

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars and we would appreciate it so much! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

xo! Eileen

First published Septemer 4, 2018. Last updated July 16, 2021 for a better reader experience.

📖 Recipe

Save the Recipe?

Enter your email below and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox to view anytime. Plus the bonus of regular recipes to you for inspiration!

the easiest poached shrimp on a large brown platter with lemon wedges

How to Make Poached Shrimp

Learn how to make the most tender poached shrimp every time. It is so easy to make poached shrimp at home with just a few easy steps. This is the perfect shrimp to make an amazing shrimp cocktail recipe.

5 from 15 votes

Print (Email Required) Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to make shrimp cocktail, how to poach shrimp, shrimp poaching liquid

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 5

cooling time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 121kcal

Author: Eileen Murphy Kelly

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

Equipment Needed:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Dutch Oven
Wire Mesh Strainer/Spider

Ingredients

1 pound extra large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined see note 1
5 cups cold water
10 whole black peppercorns see note 2
5 sprigs fresh parsley
1 large lemon, juiced
1 large lemon, cut in half
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 bay leaf
homemade cocktail sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large pot, over medium-high heat, add water, black peppercorns, fresh parsley, lemon juice, lemon halves, Kosher salt, and bay leaf.
Bring the water to a rapid boil.
Add the shrimp to the water. Remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid.
Let the shrimp poach in the liquid about 5 minutes. Shrimp will be cooked through and pink in color.
While the shrimp poaches, prepare a large bowl of ice water. Set aside.
Use a wire mesh strainer or slotted spoon to remove the shrimp to the bowl of ice water.
Let shrimp cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the ice bath with a slotted spoon.
Serve shrimp with a dipping sauce such as cocktail sauce, make shrimp salad, add to pasta salads, etc.

NOTES

Note 1: I use extra large shrimp 26/30 size, which averages about 26 shrimp per pound.

Note 2: If whole black peppercorns are not available, use 1 teaspoon black pepper.

Be sure to check Expert Tips and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe.

Storage: Cooked shrimp can keep in the refrigerator in an air tight covered container for up to 2 days.

Don’t forget to shop at the Everyday Eileen store on Amazon

Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
Weight Watchers 0 point

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @Everyday_Eileen or tag #everydayeileen!

How to Make the Best Poached Shrimp

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

Ingredients