Why is frozen shrimp so unpalatable? You are missing these steps

Shrimp pre-cooking is troublesome, so fully processed frozen shrimp is very convenient. However, some consumers have reported that frozen shrimp always has a fishy smell after thawing, and the taste is far less smooth and chewy than fresh shrimp. Why is this?

The reason why the quality of frozen shrimp deteriorates is the "water loss" during thawing and the series of biochemical changes that occur afterwards. It is common knowledge that frozen food will release water when thawed. The water that flows out when seafood is thawed is usually red, not transparent, and contains a lot of protein and umami substances.

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After the water is lost, the taste and nutrition of the frozen food will change greatly, resulting in a decline in quality, and the taste will become dry when cooked. In addition, since the lost water is rich in protein, it is very conducive to the growth of bacteria, so if the food that has lost water is left for too long, its freshness will plummet.

Therefore, it is very important when thawing frozen foods to prevent moisture loss as much as possible and to avoid soaking the ingredients in the released moisture.

Here are some thawing methods that can avoid water loss.

The best way to defrost shrimp is to use ice water, that is, put the shrimp in a sealed food bag, remove the air from it, and then put it in ice water. This thawing method not only keeps the temperature lower to prevent water loss, but also speeds up the thawing process.

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If you're in a hurry, you can also stir the frozen shrimp in salted boiling water for 15 seconds.

Either way, after thawing, you will need to wipe off any excess moisture left on the shrimp with kitchen paper.

In addition, shrimps tend to become hard after being boiled. One way to solve this problem is to coat the shrimps with starch after thawing before putting them in hot water. This way, the starch will form a coating that prevents excess water from escaping from the shrimps, making them soft and elastic.

Source and author: Popular Science China, Zhang Renmei, clinical nutritionist

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