Fill a large stockpot with water. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Add the shrimp to the boiling water. Gently stir.
Cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and allow the shrimp to cook in the residual heat until pink and opaque. If using jumbo or extra-large shrimp, this should take about 10 minutes.
Using a slotted spatula, transfer the cooked shrimp to a platter. Cover and refrigerate them for 2 hours.
Serve the shrimp with cocktail sauce or melted butter.
Video
Notes
If your shrimp are frozen, you'll need to defrost them. Place them for 10 minutes in a large bowl filled with cool water. After 10 minutes, replace the water with fresh, cool water and allow them to soak for 10 more minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a colander and rinse them with cool water.
The nutrition info is for the shrimp only.
For the best result, don't let the shrimp cook in rapidly boiling water. Instead, cook them gently in the water's residual heat after turning the heat off and removing the pot from the burner.
As you can see, this is a very simple recipe. You can spruce it up by adding aromatics to the boiling water. Good options include lemon wedges, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. These additions will subtly enhance the flavor of the shrimp. Truthfully, though, I rarely bother. The shrimp are excellent when boiled in simply salted water.
These shrimp should last up to 3 days when properly and promptly refrigerated in a shallow, airtight container.