<p>I often buy frozen shrimp from Trader Joe’s. It comes both cooked and uncooked. I bought a couple of packages of shrimp the other day, and defrosted one of them and served it to my sons last night. They were pink and I assumed they were cooked. I was preparing multiple things for dinner and not thinking much about the shrimp.</p>
<p>Today I saw the leftovers in the refrigerator, and noticed that they looked a bit translucent. They did not look raw to me, but I started to worry. I looked at the other package in the freezer, and saw that they were Argentinian red shrimp, and they were raw!!!</p>
<p>I am the most careful person in the world around food. I carefully wash all fruits and vegetables with vegetable wash, scrubbing the hard ones, even things like oranges that will be peeled, and thoroughly washing leaves. I use plastic cutting boards and sterilize them by putting them through the dishwasher after each use. I always sterilize the sink before washing fruits and vegetable, even though I use a colander. I am very careful about internal temperature on meats. </p>
<p>And I am devoted to my children. I have been looking around online and panicking. I read that uncooked shrimp is not even served as sushi!</p>
<p>What are the chances that there will be problems? How long would it take for them to show up? One of them ate about 6, and the other probably ate a few more.</p>
<p>I don’t want to tell my sons what I did, and shake their trust in me. </p>
<p>Gross! I can’t imagine they ate the raw shrimp - would have tasted horrible!</p>
<p>Did you defrost them in the microwave? Maybe that was enough too cook them? Shrimp cook very quickly! Or if you added them to food that you were heating - just a few minutes would be enough.</p>
<p>No, they were not heated at all. I defrosted them in a bowl of cold water and served them, no heating at all. One son ate them with cocktail sauce, the other ate them plain. Usually raw shrimp is gray, this stuff was definitely pink, but I saw on the package that it was “red shrimp.”</p>
<p>Excuse me, but uncooked shrimp is served as sushi all the time. It is usually called “sweet shrimp” and is delicious. HOWEVER, I only eat it if it is as fresh as can be (ie…just swimming about in a tank moments before)</p>
<p>In Asia, you can get varieties of “wriggling shrimp”, meaning gutted shrimp that are essentially still alive. At a Japanese restaurant near me, I’ve seen wriggling lobster tails. So odds are not a problem. And you’d likely know very soon after eating.</p>
<p>There’s nothing to be done now. Probably everything is fine. Freezing doesn’t sterilize, of course, but it does minimize the presence of parasites. Keep the package just in case problems appear.</p>
<p>Raw shrimp is indeed used in sushi and ceviche recipes. I would tell my kids about the mistake so they can watch for and report any unusual symptoms. I’m absolutely sure your sons know how much you love them and that you will never do this to them on purpose. It was probably a good thing that the shrimp were frozen since freezing is used to kill some parasites.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses. I called the pediatrician’s office and had a long conversation with a nurse. Her first concern was allergic reactions, but both boys have eaten shrimp (cooked!) many times with no problems. She said that any other issues would show up as diarrhea or vomiting and that we should watch for this in the next 3 days. She said that people eat raw shrimp all over the world, and that it is used in sushi (special grade, of course). She also told me that to be sold frozen here, it would have had to pass US inspections. </p>
<p>I looked again at the other frozen package. The shrimp really are pink with some red lines, and look like cooked shrimp. I wonder whether other people have made the same mistake?</p>
<p>Raw shrimp is “floppy”. Cooked shrimp (and fish and boneless chicken) is firmer. I haven’t made that mistake of serving raw shrimp but I am sure that I have done some cooking booboos. I can’t remember. As long as the kids are ok…forget it.</p>
<p>NYMomof2, I did the same thing once. I noticed it after I ate the third or fourth shrimp that they were raw when I thought I’d bought cooked shrimp. I pulled the package out of the trash, saw the problem, and the family all had a good laugh about it. </p>
<p>I didn’t realize I should have been worried! And no one had a bad reaction of any kind.</p>
<p>I find this thread a bit odd and the fact that she didn’t even tell her kids that she served raw food and bother to ask them if they are experiencing any discomfort. Why would you not tell your kids? Have you done anything in the past that may lead them to accuse you of attempted poisoning? I hope not.</p>
<p>I’m sure they will be fine. As far a “shaking their trust in you”…If my kids raised an eyebrow every time I’ve served up a dubious meal I’m sure they all would have called DSS a long time ago. Definately offers proof positive that boys will eat anything that can’t crawl away from them.</p>
<p>I bet you’ll be fine. It was most likely very fresh when frozen, and you didn’t let it sit out or anything. Thanks for posting. I could have easily made the same mistake, assuming all red colored shrimp are cooked. I was just in Asia. I may have eaten raw shrimp by mistake, after all, too!</p>
<p>I’ve never seen raw shrimp that was pink before. I looked again at the other package in the freezer, and they really do look like they are cooked. </p>
<p>Very strange post, Krlilies. Why would you even think of deliberate poisoning?</p>
<p>NYMomof2 because I guess my initial reaction after such an incident is to fear for their health hence tell my kids and ask them if they are feeling anything out of ordinary rather than fear shaking “their trust in me.” That’s why I found it odd…</p>