Can cooked shrimp be frozen? - The complete guide

Does your family love seafood for dinner? Prawns are one of the most delicious shellfish. There is so much delicious goodness packed into such a small piece of meat. And what’s more, you can cook the prawns in many ways, so basically you will never get enough of them.

We all have our favorite shrimp recipes. You can use any type of shrimp. You can also normally use raw or cooked shrimp in your recipes. You just have to be aware of the type you are working with so that you can incorporate the proper manipulation for each type.

It seems that the prawns always stretch more than one thinks. We always end up with far more shrimp than we need. Can cooked shrimp be frozen? The good news is that you CAN freeze cooked shrimp and it is very easy to do so. 

In this guide, we’ll explain what you need to know to effectively freeze your cooked shrimp. We’ll share some shrimp tips and information to help you through the whole process.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about freezing cooked shrimp and more.

The Complete Guide to Freezing Cooked Shrimp

Whether you buy your shrimp fresh from a local dealer or peruse the aisles of the grocery store, you’ll find that there are plenty of options. You can not only buy the prawns raw or cooked, but you can also buy them in other ways.

Here are some ways to buy shrimp:

• • Shelled and deveined
  • Small
  • Median
  • Large
  • Extra big
  • With Shell
  • with tail
  • Tailless

These are just some of the ways you can buy your shrimp. What you buy is entirely up to you. There is not necessarily one better than another. Our motto is that fresh is usually best, but unless you live in a coastal region, you probably won’t get it easily.

There are some exceptions to this rule, of course. 

However, when push comes to shove, all of them will end with the same result. You will have a tasty prawn dish. It’s also very likely that you have cooked shrimp that you need a way to store so you don’t have to throw it away.

Cooking with prawns

Prawns are a unique food. Many people tend to associate prawns with prawns, even though they are not the same (they are quite similar).

Prawns can be made into many different types of dishes. You can use shrimp in much the same way that you would use other types of meat. Of course, there are also some options for traditional meat dishes.

Here are some ideas for using your shrimp:

• prawn skewers
• pasta with prawns
• Prawns with prawns
• coconut prawns
• fried prawns
• prawns with popcorn
• prawns with semolina
• grilled prawns
• fried rice with prawns
• shrimp in salad
• shrimp tacos
• Prawn cocktail

These are just some of the more common uses for shrimp. As we have mentioned before, there are many ways to use shrimp and they are certainly not limited to this list that we have provided.

Over 300 species of shrimp are known, so don’t get too bogged down in the details of what type of shrimp you need.  Just choose what works for your recipe and your kitchen. There really is nothing good or bad.

The key in all things shrimp is understanding proper shrimp handling . The freezing steps will vary depending on whether you are cooking the shrimp in a dish or just cooking it to cook.

For example, if you boil, bake, grill, or sauté your shrimp, you can follow the processes we share below to freeze cooked shrimp.

However, you should be aware that cooked prawns in recipes such as prawns in pasta may not freeze in the same way.

In this guide, when we refer to cooked prawns we are simply referring to prawns that have been cooked on their own and not mixed together in a complete dish. It would be too exhaustive to try to point out every type of prawn dish and cover how to freeze prawns in one guide.

Proper handling of shrimp

Prawns are not a food designed to be at room temperature for an excessive amount of time.

For a better handling of the prawns, they should be stored in the fridge or freezer to prevent them from spoiling. This rule is valid regardless of whether the prawns are raw or cooked. 

It is not normally recommended to eat prawns raw, but there are cases in which they are served as such. There are many countries with cultural dishes that use raw shrimp. Sashimi is an example.

One of the reasons why it is frowned upon to eat raw shrimp is because of the possibility that they reproduce and harbor bacteria and parasites. This makes the potential for food poisoning very real.

However, these dishes are still quite common. Everything is in the manipulation processes.

The prawns are frozen from the moment they are caught in the water. Shrimp boats are required to freeze shrimp to properly adhere to safe handling practices. From the moment you buy your prawns, they should only be refrigerated for about 4 days, or they should be frozen. 

This same rule applies to cooked shrimp. If you don’t plan on using it for 3-4 days, use the freezer to keep yourself and your shrimp safe for future use.

When you cook the prawns, you will know they are fully cooked when they turn a dull pink color. To check if the prawns are done, you can check the internal temperature. Shrimp should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Freeze the cooked prawns

If you handle the prawns correctly during the process, storing them is quite easy. You can store it in your fridge for up to 4 days and you can store it in your freezer for up to 6 months.

Remember that you should not leave the prawns at room temperature for more than 1-2 hours.  Even once the prawns are cooked, they should not be left uncovered or at room temperature for too long. This is because these types of foods tend to be a magnet for bacteria.

Simply follow best practice processes to ensure the safety of your kitchen and those who eat your shrimp.

Below you will find instructions for both the fridge and freezer of your cooked prawns.

Cooling of cooked prawns

1. Let the prawns cool to room temperature. Don’t leave them out for more than 1-2 hours after cooking.
2. Place the shrimp in an airtight container or heavy-duty storage bag.
3. Place the prawns in the coldest part of the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze the cooked prawns

1. Allow the shrimp to cool to room temperature if they are freshly cooked. Do not leave shrimp out at room temperature for more than 1-2 hours to prevent the growth and spread of bacteria.
2. Place the cooked shrimp in a heavy-duty freezer bag. You can also wrap the shrimp in aluminum foil and place them in an airtight container.
3. Label the container and put the date on it.
4. Store it like this in the freezer for up to 6 months.

When you’re ready to use your frozen cooked shrimp , you can take it straight from the freezer to your pan to reheat. You can also add them to whatever dish you are preparing and heat them according to the dish.

Reheating frozen cooked shrimp is easy and doesn’t take a lot of time.

Related questions

We hope you have found this guide to freezing cooked prawns useful and informative. It is very easy to freeze your cooked prawns as long as you handle them properly from the moment you buy them.

We invite you to take a look at the following section of questions and answers. You will find additional information that may be useful to you or even answer one of your own shrimp questions.

What should you do if you have bought cooked prawns?

You can handle cooked shrimp from the store in much the same way as the instructions in this guide.

Just keep in mind that if you buy shrimp cooked and then cook it, it means that it has been cooked twice before being frozen. It’s okay to do this, but remember that the integrity of the flavor may be reduced with each cook. 

How can you tell if the prawns are bad?

Prawns do not have a strong fishy odor until they start to pass their shelf life. It will always have a slight fishy smell because it is a shellfish. Fresh shrimps usually have a slightly salty smell.

Spoiled prawns have a deep fishy odor and possibly a smell of ammonia or bleach as well. 

If your shrimp start to smell very fishy or ammonia, you should throw them away to avoid food poisoning. You can also tell if your shrimps seem slimy.