How Long to Boil Shrimp
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Learn how long to boil shrimp and get juicy, delicious shrimp every time, whether you’re making shrimp cocktail or another dish. We cover how to boil shrimp quickly and easily with boiling times and tips for every kind of shrimp!
Boiling is one of the best ways to cook shrimp, whether you’re making shrimp cocktail, shrimp salad, or another recipe. We’re often asked “how long does it take to boil shrimp?” and the answer is “it depends” on size and type of shrimp!
Given how expensive shrimp can be, we all want to make sure it won’t turn out dry and chewy! Along with plain boiled shrimp, you can use a similar technique to make a southern shrimp boil in an aromatic broth with corn, potatoes, sausage and seasonings.
THE BEST SHRIMP FOR BOILING
You can boil any type of shrimp, including Gulf shrimp, tiger shrimp, white shrimp and rock shrimp. Wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf coast or Florida is the best if you can find it in season. Imported shrimp is usually farmed in Asia and is less expensive, although considered less safe as well.
Any shrimp size is fine, whether raw or frozen, shell-on or shell-off. I prefer deveined shrimp, but that’s just a preference. Note that shrimp are very perishable, so cook raw shrimp within a day of purchase or thawing.
HOW LONG DO YOU BOIL SHRIMP
How long to boil shrimp depends on shrimp size and type. Also, if you have a large pot of boiling water, it’ll stay hot more easily. I recommend at least 2 quarts of water per pound of shrimp.
Follow the chart below to determine shrimp boil time for your setup:
Shrimp Size (Count per lb) | How Long to Boil Shrimp | |
Raw | Frozen | |
Small (51-60) | 30 sec | 1 min |
Medium (41-50) | 1 min | 1 1/2 min |
Large (31-35) | 2 min | 3 min |
Jumbo (21-25) | 3 min | 4 min |
Extra jumbo (16-20) | 4 min | 5 min |
Since shrimp behave differently, it’s best to ignore rules of thumb such as shrimp turning pink when done, or floating or curling, etc. For example, frozen shrimp turns pink on the outside before it’s cooked through, while red shrimp don’t curl much during cooking. Boiling time is still the most accurate measure of doneness.
Here are other questions on boiling shrimp:
- How long to boil frozen shrimp: Large frozen shrimp need 3 full minutes of boiling time; the texture is better if you thaw the shrimp first.
- How long to boil raw shrimp: Boil raw shrimp for the times in the chart above to ensure doneness.
- How long to boil jumbo shrimp: Raw jumbo shrimp need 3 minutes of boiling time and frozen jumbo shrimp need 4 minutes.
- How long do you boil shrimp in shell: Boiling time is identical for shell-on and shell-off shrimp.
HOW DO YOU BOIL SHRIMP
Here’s how to boil shrimp in three simple steps:
- Fill a medium-large pot of water half-full, about 2 quarts (2 liters) of water per pound of shrimp.
- Bring to a rolling boil and add the shrimp. Simmer until the time’s up or they float.
- Drain and cover with cold water or ice water to stop the cooking process.
How to tell when shrimp is done? Shrimp will have curled, turned pink and begun floating in the water when done. Whitish formations near the tail indicate overcooking. Follow the shrimp boil time above.
It’s easiest to scoop the shrimp straight out of the pot using a slotted spoon.
Serve boiled shrimp with fresh lemon, cocktail sauce and some salt and pepper.
How to Boil Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp, raw or frozen, any size
- 1 tsp salt, optional
Serving Ideas (Optional)
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 cup cocktail sauce
Instructions
- Fill a medium saucepan halfway with cold water. Place over medium-high heat.
- Once the water boils, add the shrimp and simmer until cooked following the cook time chart.
- Drain the shrimp.
- Place in a bowl with cold water or ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Use as directed in your recipe or serve as is.
Notes
- Use 2 quarts (2 liters) of water per pound of shrimp.
- Most shrimp is already quite salty, so salting the water is usually not necessary.
Please read our nutrition disclaimer.
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Your chart is sooo helpful! In the past I’ve always guesstimated cooking time but thanks to you, I now have exact cooking time rules to follow. And that’s terrific because even one minute too long can make a huge difference when it comes to boiling shrimp!
Hi Judith, Thanks for your feedback and glad to hear it was helpful!
Learning how long to boil shrimp was really helpful.
Thanks Donna – great to hear!
Great informaron. Made mexican shrimp cocktail I followed boiling times for raw shrimp. They came out spot on. We boiled 5 pounds cooled then with ice made the cocktail stew wrote yummy shrimp. Thank you
I didn’t realize I was cooking my shrimp too long! Going to try this out
Hi Suzy, Thanks for your comment and it’s so easy to do. Hope it helps.
This is a useful and well presented article but the table of cooking times has errors as follows: (1) the stated count-per-lb for Small and Medium shrimp should be interchanged*; (2) there are gaps whereby shrimp with count-per-lb of 26-30 and 36-40 are not represented at all, these correspond to Extra Large and Medium Large sizes respectively as defined in the linked article at https://tipbuzz.com/shrimp-sizes/
* following the count-per-lb in the table could result in Small shrimp being over-cooked and Medium shrimp being under-cooked
Hi Howard, Thanks for your comment and we corrected that typo on small-medium counts. So glad you found it helpful and hope to see you again soon on the site.
There is a mistake on the cooking time chart. small is 51/60 and medium is 41/50.
Also farmed shrimp comes from Latin America and Asia and if certified is higher quality and more environmentally sustainable than trawled shrimp.
Hi Scott, Thanks for your comment – that size typo has been fixed and agree that certification is an important consideration when shopping!