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1
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
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2
Add the shrimp, cayenne, and salt.
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3
Cook, gently stirring occasionally and turning the shrimp over at least once, until the shrimp are opaque pink or orange and cooked through, about 6 minutes.
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4
Divide the shrimp among 4 to 6 small plates.
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5
Pour the remaining butter sauce over each and serve.
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6
Where I call for shrimp in this book, youll see numbers in parentheses after the shrimp weight and size.
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7
This recipe, for instance, calls for 1 pound large shrimp (31 to 35 per pound).
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8
The numbers in parentheses are called the count and indicate roughly how many shrimp of that size are in 1 pound.
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9
Because more general terms such as small, medium, large, and jumbo can mean different things depending on where you are, this is a surer indication of what size shrimp I use when I prepare the recipe.
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10
Its often marked on the package or at the fish counter as a hyphenated range, such as 3135.
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11
Its fine to use shrimp of a different size if they are all that are available to you; simply adjust the cooking time as necessary.
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12
For recipes that call for cooked shrimp, place the shrimp still in their shells in a large pot of salted water.
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13
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the shrimp are pink all over, 2 to 4 minutes for small shrimp and 3 to 5 minutes for large shrimp.
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14
Drain and rinse in cold water.
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15
When they are cool enough to handle, peel and devein the shrimp.
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16
Use or eat at once, or refrigerate until needed or for up to 2 days.
