Understand Frozen Shrimp Factory Processing Step by Step

Frozen shrimp factory processing is actually simple and you may want to know a bit how the manufacturers process their seafood product before being sold and distributed worldwide. Shrimp is an important commodity in the international market because many people love to have shrimp. It is one of the most famous sea foods consumed by people all around the world along with other fish like tuna, salmon, and many more. They are sold in both fresh and frozen condition peeled or unpeeled, head and tail off or on, and raw or cooked condition.
Why freeze the shrimp?
The shrimp needs to be frozen to maintain their freshness and with proper freezing at the right temperature setting plus good storage, the shrimp can last for even months. It is to prevent the shrimp contaminated by bacteria as well that tend to make the shrimp rotten before being used. Wild caught shrimp, for example, they are immediately frozen on board before being delivered to the facilities so they can arrive safely in good condition ready for the next manufacturing process.
Homeowners who buy frozen shrimp can use the leftover for later and they can keep the shrimp in the freezer inside airtight plastic bag. The shrimp can last for 6 months when stored at -30 degrees Celsius and less than that when stored at -20 degrees Celsius (2 to 3 months) or -10 degrees Celsius (1 month).
About frozen shrimp factory process
Below information is just a quick information or description about frozen shrimp factory process and although not all manufacturers processing their shrimp with similar ways, but it can still help you to understand more about frozen shrimp in a brief.
1.      When the shrimp is caught wildly in the ocean, they will get freeze quickly on board to keep the freshness. And when the boat tied up at the factory dock and arrive safely, they will use huge vacuum to suck the frozen shrimp out of their large tanks.
2.      They will be placed to the conveyor belt for the next processing after thawed. The belt is leading to the factory and their staff will stood in a long row in either side of the belt to sort the shrimp manually according to their grade.
3.      They will be sorted depending on their sizes and grade, after that some of the staff will ripped the shrimp head off and then place the carcasses in some huge specific box. As for your information, the shrimp species are vary; there are tiger shrimp which is one of the most popular shrimp species that have larger size than other shrimp species. Not to mention, tiger shrimp is more expensive too. In addition, some of the shrimp still packaged with the head on, usually they are distributed for export commodity to other countries in frozen raw state for further processing.
4.      As for the cooked frozen shrimp factory processing, when the frozen shrimp entering the factory, they will be immediately defrost. Next, the shrimp will be peeled off and cooked at the right temperature. The cooked shrimp get salted, cooled, and then frozen individually using flow freezer. The frozen shrimp will be glazed in a thin of ice layer and packed for distribution.
Handling frozen shrimp before cooking
Before cooking the frozen shrimp, you need to thaw or defrost the shrimp first. You can store the shrimp overnight inside refrigerator so they can thawed properly and slowly ready to be used in the next morning. However, you can also cook the shrimp straight out of the freezer. This is an easier and simpler method to be used and followed.
To thaw the frozen shrimp factory product with only few minutes, you can take out the shrimp out of the package. After that, place them in a bowl full of cold water and soak them for few minutes or at least 10 minutes. You can place the shrimp on the strainer so it will be easier to take out them later. Next, take out the shrimp from the water and replace the water with new cold water and repeat the process for 10 to 20 minutes. After the shrimp thawed completely, you are ready to use them for shrimp recipes.
Hope information above help you to understand more about frozen shrimp factory and how to handle them properly after buying.