For Plump and Snappy Shrimp, Reach for Baking Soda and Salt

Shrimp is one of my favorite sources of protein, but there’s nothing that can ruin a meal quite like biting into one and finding it's overcooked to the point of being rubbery or mushy.

Shrimp cook quickly and can go from perfect to overdone in a matter of seconds, so it's critical to not overcook them. Beyond that, though, there's a technique we've long used on Serious Eats to ensure plump, juicy, snappy, and delicious shrimp: Dry brine it with a simple combo of baking soda and salt. It's a trick I employ every time I cook shrimp. 

The Science Behind Why Shrimp Gets Mushy or Rubbery

Before we dive into why the brine works, it’s important to note what’s happening to your shrimp when it cooks, and why it can take on a rubbery or mushy texture if cooked too long. “When you apply heat to any protein—meat, fish, eggs—the proteins denature and coagulate, bonding with each other to form a more solid structure,” explains Serious Eats editorial director Daniel Gritzer. “With extended time and increased heat, the proteins bond tighter and tighter, which squeezes liquid out of the meat just like wringing out a sponge. This can lead to dryness, or in the case of shrimp, a tighter, less plump texture,” and eventually a mushy one as the muscle tissue breaks down further.

Why You Should Dry Brine Your Shrimp

To keep shrimp plump and juicy as they cook, we turn to a dry brine of baking soda and salt—inexpensive ingredients we all have on hand. These two ingredients interact with the shrimp in important ways—increasing the pH and interacting with muscle proteins—with the overall effect of increasing moisture retention during cooking.. 

“Salt and a higher pH (meaning, more alkaline) can both help the shrimp retain moisture by interfering with how efficiently the proteins can bond with each other so that they contract less,” says Daniel. “In meat and other animal protein, including seafood, salt dissolves the muscle protein myosin, which in turn reduces the myosin's degree of contraction during cooking. Raising the pH, meanwhile, increases the amount of hydroxide ions (OH⁻) in the solution; they interact with protons (H⁺) that would otherwise be available to participate in the protein bonding and reducing the ability of those proteins to bond more readily.”

This phenomenon occurs in all animal proteins, including seafood and shrimp, which is why we almost always recommend dry-brining your meat for the best results. Both Kenji Alt-López and Daniel have employed this technique in numerous shrimp recipes across our site, including shrimp scampi and grilled shrimp. We suggest using about one teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for every pound of shrimp, whether shelled or not. Only about 15 minutes—during which time you can prep your other ingredients—is all that’s needed, but you can keep it marinating up to an hour; just make sure to pop it in the fridge to keep it fresh if you're planning to let it sit for more than a few minutes.

Pasta Mains

Shrimp Scampi With Pasta

rating:

cook time: 45 mins

serves: 4

view recipe

Kenji also notes that while this technique is great for achieving plump and snappy shrimp, it also aids in browning shrimp. That's because the Maillard reaction—the browning reactions that happen when proteins and sugars in foods interact with heat to create more complex flavors—occurs more quickly at higher pH levels. 

Further Ensure Juiciness By Not Overcooking Shrimp 

It’s important to note that it’s still possible to overcook your shrimp even after brining it, so you’ll want to keep an eye on the shrimp as it’s cooking. “This is a technique that prolongs a more desirable plump texture and extends the time before the tightening effects of overcooking become apparent,” says Daniel, but the shrimp will eventually overcook regardless. He also notes that while this technique is beneficial and makes a noticeable difference, you may not always want a more taut texture in your shrimp—it all comes down to personal preference. 

“It's a very specific texture, and in some ways, the shrimp has a tautness that is noticeable,” says Daniel. “It's plump, it's juicy, it's not mushy, but it's also not very tender. So you're losing something to gain some other things.” He compares the water retention in brined shrimp to a “tightly-filled water balloon,” which is not always ideal. For example, in Tim Chin’s shrimp fried rice recipe, he opts not to dry brine the shrimp after finding that doing so would have increased the cooking time and reduced the smoky wok hei flavor he was trying to achieve. 

While we can’t guarantee you’ll never encounter rubbery or mushy shrimp again—especially outside your home—this is a great technique to keep in your back pocket as an insurance policy.