Prawns enjoy a huge fan following among seafood lovers. Whether it's the classic tempura prawns or a rich and flavourful prawn curry, there's something incredibly delightful about indulging in each of them. The ones that we enjoy at restaurants somehow always manage to ace the flavours perfectly. However, when it comes to making these same dishes at home, we may encounter many challenges. Sometimes, the prawns tend to overcook or lack that restaurant flavour that we all love so much. Even after meticulously following all the steps of a recipe, we are never fully satisfied with the end results. What is it that we might be doing wrong? Below we have curated a list of mistakes to avoid while cooking prawns. Read on to find out.
Also Read: Are Your Prawns Fresh? 5 Easy Tips To Assess Their Quality
Here Are 5 Mistakes To Avoid While Cooking Prawns:
1. Not cleaning them properly:
Cleaning prawns is essential to preventing food-borne illnesses. If you buy them fresh from a local seafood shop, more often than not, they have leftover sand particles in them. It's important to wash them nicely before you start with the cooking process. Whether you buy them from a local shop or a grocery store, cleaning prawns is a must if you want to avoid falling sick after eating them. Not cleaning them properly can also have a drastic impact on the taste of your dish. It is one of the common mistakes while cooking prawns.
2. Not deveining:
After cleaning the prawns thoroughly comes the most unpleasant chore of all: deveining them! Now, it's not essential to devein them every time, and eating them this way won't cause you any harm. But it will not go well with the otherwise delicate flavour of prawns. So, make sure not to miss out on this step. You don't need a special tool to do this; just a regular, sharp knife would do the trick.
3. Improper thawing:
Do you use a microwave to thaw your prawns, or do you put them in warm water? Either way, using any of these methods isn't such a great idea and should be avoided as a common mistake while cooking prawns. Prawns have a delicate texture, and thawing them this way can end up ruining their texture. The best way to thaw them is to keep them in the refrigerator overnight, as it helps provide the ideal temperature and will cook prawns perfectly.
Also Read: Love Prawns? This Amritsari Prawn Fry Recipe Is A Must-Try
4. Overcooking them:
Another mistake that we might be making while cooking prawns is overcooking them. As they tend to cook in a matter of minutes, it's quite common for us to do so. But how should one figure out when they're done? One clue that you can watch out for is when the prawns form a "C" shape. Another indicator is when the tails of the prawns become pink and opaque in colour. As soon as they change their colour to this, that's a sign they are cooked.
5. Throwing the shells:
Did you know you could cook prawns along with the shells as well? Yes, it's possible! You can leave the shells on for recipes that call for grilling the prawns. The hard shell helps provide protection to the inner soft part, ensuring it remains juicy and tender. Grilling them without the shell can end up burning them or cooking them too quickly. So, the next time you're cooking prawns that involve grilling, do not throw the shells away.
Cooking prawns is not as difficult as it seems. Just keep the above-mentioned tips in mind, and you'll be able to make them perfectly every time.