How to Sous Vide Shrimp: An Insanely Delicious (& Easy) Recipe

Attention shrimp lovers! This sous vide shrimp recipe is sure to please your palate without requiring much time in the kitchen.

Sous vide is a fantastic way to cook proteins, including shrimp because it allows for precise control when cooking. That way, you can avoid the dreaded rubbery shrimp texture. For years, sous vide has been a staple of restaurant cooking, and it’s gained popularity in home cooking recently thanks to the availability of sous vide cookers.  

Cooking your shrimp sous vide creates flavorful, juicy shrimp. We’ve whipped up a fantastic sous vide shrimp recipe for you. Enjoy our spin on sous vide shrimp recipe from All Recipes below.

• Cooking shrimp sous vide makes it harder to overcook the shrimp and allows the shrimp to hold the juices
• You can modify the time or temperature to give the shrimp your favorite texture 
• This recipe contains savory, fresh ingredients that are infused into the shrimp during the cooking process

Perfect Garlic Butter Sous Vide Shrimp Recipe 

So, what does it mean to cook shrimp sous vide? Sous vide is a method of cooking that requires the food to be vacuum-sealed and then dropped into a pot of heated water. The water is kept at a low, consistent temperature, typically between 140-158°F. This precise temperature ensures the shrimp are cooked evenly so they stay juicy and tender. 

This perfect garlic butter sous vide shrimp recipe serves 2 and doesn’t take long to prep or cook.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10-30 minutes
• Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined. You can even get pre-sealed, frozen shrimp! 
• 8 half-inch strips of lemon zest or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon chopped thyme
• ½ tablespoon chopped oregano
• ½ tablespoon chopped parsley
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

Tools:

• Pot of water
• Sous vide cooker
• Vacuum cooker or a sealable plastic bag (if not using pre-sealed shrimp)

How to Cook The Shrimp

1. Set up your sous vide cooker inside a pot of water. Set the temperature to about 135°F (57°C) or as you prefer based on the chart further down. If you’re using pre-sealed shrimp, follow the temperature instructions.
2. If you aren’t using pre-sealed shrimp, place your shrimp into a bowl and mix with the lemon, thyme, oregano, parsley, and butter or olive oil. If you’re using pre-sealed shrimp, these ingredients will need to be added after cooking.
3. Seal the bag with a vacuum sealer. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, you can seal a zip-top bag using the water displacement method described below.
4. Place the shrimp bag into the water and cook for about 15 minutes. If you’re using frozen pre-sealed shrimp, cook for 35 minutes.
5. Remove the shrimp from the pot and take it out of the bag. If you’re using pre-sealed shrimp, you can add the seasonings now. 
6. Serve alone or over rice, pasta, or vegetables. Bon appetit!

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can remove air from your sealable bag using the water displacement method.

• Place food in a bag and seal most of the bag, leaving a small space open so excess air can escape. Don’t use water that is so hot that it may burn you.
• Submerge the bag slowly into water. As you submerge the bag, massage the area around the food to help get rid of extra air.
• Once the food is completely submerged, seal the rest of the bag.

Quick & Easy Garlic Butter Sous Vide Shrimp 

Don’t have the time or energy for the above recipe? This quick sous vide shrimp recipe is as delicious as it is simple. The star ingredient is Prime Shrimp’s ready-to-cook, pre-seasoned shrimp. Read on for the convenient and tasty recipe.

Ingredients: 

• Garlic Herb Butter Shrimp Pack
• Lemon juice or fresh lemon

Tools:

• A pot of water
• Sous vide cooker (optional)

Steps:

If you’re using a sous vide cooker:

1. Put the sous vide cooker in a pot of water and set the water temperature to 165°F (74°C)
2. Place the pouch, frozen in the water and cook for 10 minutes
3. Remove from water, open, and add a squeeze of lemon over the top. Serve alone or over pasta, rice, or veggies.

If cooking without a sous vide cooker:

1. Bring a pot of two quarts of water to a boil on the stove
2. Place the frozen pouch in the water and cook for 7 minutes, turning the shrimp packet 2-3 times during cooking.
3. Remove from the pot and let it stand 2 minutes before serving. Add a squeeze of lemon. Serve alone or over pasta, rice, or veggies.

Sous Vide Shrimp Cooking Temperature

The key to delicious, juicy sous vide shrimp is the water temperature. When cooking shrimp, the water temperature can have a huge effect on the taste and texture.

Thawed shrimp should be cooked in water that is between 125-140°F (52-60°C). Cooking thawed shrimp in water that is less than 125°F can lead to soft and mushy shrimp, while temperatures higher than 140°F create shrimp that has a rubbery, tough texture.

The texture of your shrimp can vary depending on the temperature you use. Here’s a chart to help you determine what temperature of water you need:

Often, 15 minutes is enough time to cook your shrimp all the way through, but the great thing about cooking sous vide is that you can leave the shrimp in the water longer without overcooking. If you are planning to sous vide frozen shrimp, you can raise the temperature as in the recipe above, or cook it for an extra 10-15 minutes.

Tips for Avoiding Mushy Shrimp 

Shrimp tastes best with a somewhat firm, bouncy texture, but sometimes shrimp can become mushy during the cooking process. This happens because shrimp have an enzyme in their bodies called protease that breaks down proteins. When the shrimp dies, these proteins, which are mainly found in the head, begin to break down the structure of the shrimp. 

There are a few things you can do to stop these enzymes from ruining your shrimp:

• Reach for IQF (individually quick frozen)  shrimp since a lot of “fresh shrimp” in stores can turn mushy after thawing for hours.
• When buying shrimp, look for ones that have their heads removed.
• Don’t cook your shrimp too long. Shrimp will shift from a grayish blue to a pink color when ready. A telltale sign of overcooked shrimp is when they curl into O shapes.

FAQs

1. Can you sous vide frozen shrimp?

You can absolutely sous vide frozen shrimp. Just keep in mind that you may need to cook them longer or raise the temperature. If your frozen shrimp comes with instructions, check those for cooking temperature and times. The end result should be pink, opaque-looking shrimp.

2. How long does it take for shrimp to cook using the sous vide method?

Non-frozen shrimp usually takes about 15 minutes to cook with the sous vide method. Frozen shrimp cooked at the same temperature will take about 35 minutes.

3. What temperature does shrimp need to be cooked to? 

It’s best to cook shrimp and other raw seafood to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). You can also use visual cues like color to tell when shrimp is ready.

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How to Sous Vide Shrimp: An Insanely Delicious (& Easy) Recipe

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Servings

2

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

This sous vide shrimp recipe contains savory, fresh ingredients that are infused into the shrimp during the cooking process. The result is perfectly cooked shrimp, filled with flavor. Sous vide is a fantastic way to cook proteins, including shrimp because it allows for precise control when cooking.

Author:

Prime Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined

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• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
• 8 half-inch strips of lemon zest or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon chopped thyme
• ½ tablespoon chopped oregano
• ½ tablespoon chopped parsley

Tools

• Sous vide cooker

• Vacuum cooker or a sealable plastic bag (if not using pre-sealed shrimp)

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Directions

1. Set up your sous vide cooker inside a pot of water. Set the temperature to about 135°F (57°C) or as you prefer based on the chart below.

   If using pre-sealed shrimp, follow the temperature instructions on the label.

2. Place your shrimp into a bowl and mix with the lemon, thyme, oregano, parsley, and butter or olive oil.

   If using pre-sealed shrimp, these ingredients will need to be added after cooking.

3. Seal the bag with a vacuum sealer. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, you can seal a zip-top bag using the water displacement method described below.

4. Place the shrimp bag into the water and cook for about 15 minutes or until shrimp becomes pink in color and reaches at least 130°F.

   If using frozen pre-sealed shrimp, cook for 35 minutes.

5. Remove the shrimp from the pot and take it out of the bag.

   If using pre-sealed shrimp, add the seasonings now.

6. Serve alone or over rice, pasta, or vegetables. Bon appetit!