Shrimp cook best in a very hot pan for very little time, when they're pink and have just a touch of translucency they're finished. One of my favorite shrimp recipes is Szechuan salt and pepper shrimp, super easy and only 4 ingredients, plus you leave the shells on which also helps them stay juicy and tender. You need: Shrimp, about 1/2 lb (the larger the better), Safflower or Peanut oil (or any neutral oil with a high smoke point), 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1T roasted and ground Szechuan peppercorns (if you can't find these you can use like 1/2-1 teaspoon of black pepper, not at all the same but still good) Get a wok or a regular frying pan with about 1-2 T of oil in it smoking hot. Add the shrimp and stir fry for 1&1/2 to 2 minutes, until they are pink but still the tiniest bit translucent, adding the salt and Szechuan pepper or black pepper when they are just about done. If you want more shrimp you should do them in batches as adding too much to the pan will cool it to the point where they will take too long to cook and become rubbery. Then you basically just eat them with your hands, or if you're highly skilled with chopsticks and can peel them without using your hands by all means do so. Szechuan peppercorns (not chilies) are the small husks of the seeds of the prickly ash tree found in the northern Szechuan region, sometimes labeled "red peppercorns" in asian markets. They have a numbing heat, kind of strange at first but totally addictive and amazing.