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1
Put half the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over high heat.
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2
When a bit of smoke appears, add the leeks all at once.
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3
Let sit for a couple of minutes, then cook, stirring only occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
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4
When the leeks dry out and begin to brown, remove them from the pan and set aside.
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5
With the heat still on high, add the remaining oil to the pan, immediately followed by the shrimp; sprinkle with the ginger.
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6
Cook for about a minute and stir.
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7
Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the shrimp are almost all pink.
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8
Add the leeks, along with some salt and pepper.
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9
When the shrimp are done (no traces of gray will remain), stir in the liquid if desired, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
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10
Almost all shrimp are frozen before sale.
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11
So unless youre in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
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12
There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium dont mean much.
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13
Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do.
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14
Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound.
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15
Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
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16
On deveining: I dont.
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17
You can, if you like, but its a thankless task, and there isnt one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.
