For Tender Frozen Shrimp, Take One Extra Step Before Cooking

Frozen shrimp are a convenient and reliable quick dinner option, and frozen shrimp are actually fresher than you might think. Whether you're whipping up a spicy, garlicky tomato-based pasta dish like shrimp fra diavolo or searing them in a cast iron pan for an easy taco night, frozen shrimp are one of the unsung heroes of weeknight cooking. But as easy as they are to work with, there's one factor that might derail your entire meal, and it has to do with moisture. 

Just like you should pat steak dry before cooking, you want to ensure that your defrosted shrimp are as dry as possible before cooking them. Whether they've come straight from the bag, if you've defrosted them quickly in a water bath, or even if you've just lightly rinsed them after they've thawed completely, it's imperative to pat shrimp completely dry. You can use a thin, clean kitchen towel to dry them, or even a few layers of paper towels to gently but firmly pat the shrimp dry. Since shrimp cook so quickly, you want to get some nice browning on them as soon as possible, which is near impossible to do with any excess moisture in the pan. The shrimp need to cook rapidly to make sure they stay tender, as overcooked shrimp can be rubbery and unpleasant to eat. 

Another trick to being able to get a bit of browning on the shrimp is to make sure you don't crowd the pan by cooking too many shrimp at once; this will all but guarantee that the shrimp will steam more than sear. The only time you don't need to thoroughly dry shrimp prior to cooking is when you're poaching or simmering them in a liquid, as the goal wouldn't be to brown them, but to cook them gently for a chilled shrimp cocktail or other broth-forward applications.

In addition to avoiding sad, steamed shrimp, another benefit of eliminating excess moisture from thawed shrimp is that a dry protein enables seasonings to better adhere to the shrimp. There are a plethora of common mistakes to avoid when using frozen shrimp, but one of the gravest errors may be a lack of proper seasoning. A dry canvas helps salt and other spices stick to the shrimp before they hit the hot pan. For extra-crispy but still juicy shrimp without having to fry them, try coating them in a light layer of baking soda, which will aid in boosting the Maillard reaction in the pan quickly without overcooking the shrimp.