You're Probably Marinating Shrimp For Too Long

Marinating is a great technique to have in your arsenal: It gives you an added sharpness and a boost of extra flavor, but can also make your proteins much more forgiving when it comes to cooking them. That's especially true with seafood, which can be delicate and prone to drying out as it cooks. But there are a few misconceptions about marinating that are worth being aware of. You'll have probably come across, at some point, a recipe calling for you to marinate fish for several hours — or even overnight. But you should think twice before you do — especially when it comes to seafood.

Unless you aim to actually cure your fish, like when making mixed seafood ceviche, you're going to want to avoid marinating fish for all that long — and that's especially true for shrimp, which are easily overcooked. To find out exactly how long, we asked chef Simpson Wong, of Kancil, a Malaysian restaurant in NYC. "I marinade the shrimp for one to two hours depending on the size," chef Wong told us. So when you're making shrimp at home, make sure not to exceed that two-hour time limit (if you're planning on cooking them, that is). So what happens if you do? "[W]hen shrimps are marinated for too long, the marinade cooks the shrimp," a bit like in poké's citrusy cousin, ceviche. This can negatively affect the shrimp's texture once they're cooked. "[W]ater from the shrimps leaks out and the shrimps get tough," he noted.

The question now becomes: What should you actually marinate them in? We asked chef Wong if he had any go-to marinade recipes that might be good to try at home. He recommended a simple Asian-inspired marinade, which brings a fantastic depth of flavor and a burst of spice and freshness. There aren't all that many ingredients, either: "Salt or fish sauce, chili flakes or paste, sugar, turmeric powder, minced garlic, minced lemongrass" are all you'll need. "[T]his is a very common marinade in South East Asia," he told us. The fish sauce, a staple ingredient in that particular region's cuisine, brings a deep savory kick to any dish and is a particularly useful ingredient to have in your pantry if you don't already.

That particular marinade isn't limited to just fish, either, Wong pointed out. "It's very versatile, good for salad, rice, noodles [and more]." Just don't go dressing salad with it once it's been used to marinate fish, or you'll risk getting yourself sick. Once you've used your marinade, you should throw it away or cook it down with your shrimp, rather than reusing it – though it might be tempting to repurpose it for your next batch of protein, reusing a marinade can result in its potency (and therefore your shrimp's flavor) being diluted.