The details of how long shrimp needs to be steamed are as follows:

1. If the shrimp is steamed whole, boil the water and steam for 5 minutes before it is cooked. Because the protein content of shrimp itself is very high, almost the whole body is protein. However, steaming of whole shrimps will be slightly hindered by heating with the shells on, so the steaming time needs to be controlled to 5 minutes.

2. If the shrimp is steamed with its head removed, boil water and steam for 4 minutes before it is cooked. Because the heads of the shrimp are removed, the water inside the shrimp meat will evaporate more easily, so the shrimp meat will be heated significantly faster. Generally, it can be eaten after steaming for 4 minutes.

3. If the shrimp is open-back steamed, boil water and steam for 3 minutes before it is cooked. Because the meat inside the back of the prawns has been opened, the heating surface will be greatly increased, and the thickness of the whole shrimp will be divided into two. The steaming time will naturally be significantly shortened. Generally, it takes about 3 minutes to steam. If steaming shellless shrimps, boil the water and steam for 3 minutes until cooked. Although the shrimps are completely shelled, the shrimp meat is still thicker. The steaming time is the same as that of open-back shrimps. It is recommended to steam for 3 minutes before eating.