The Quick And Easy Hack To Thaw Frozen Shrimp When You're In A Rush

Because it cooks so quickly, shrimp is a great ingredient when throwing together a weeknight meal. However, when it comes to thawing out frozen shrimp, things tend to slow down, and it can be tragic when you forget to set shrimp out to thaw and have to reimagine your dinner plans. The ideal way to thaw frozen shrimp involves keeping them out overnight, but if you're in a hurry, there is a faster method that works well in a pinch.

In a video recipe for shrimp teriyaki bowls posted to her Instagram, the internet's grandmother Babs — of Brunch with Babs fame — snuck in this technique to quickly defrost shrimp. She starts by poking holes into both sides of a bag of frozen shrimp, then she sets the bag so it's sitting up in the sink. After opening the top of the bag, Babs continuously runs cold water over the shrimp. The water flows out of the holes poked into the bag, which as Babs points out, makes something of a homemade colander.

When trying this hack yourself, you'll need to keep the water running until the shrimp has completely defrosted, which should take about 15 to 20 minutes. You may also want to give the bag a few shakes so that the shrimp sitting at the bottom can get to the top and have more direct contact with the water. After all the shrimp has thawed out, dump them out onto paper towels, dry them off, and start cooking!

Along with being an incredibly speedy way to get your shrimp ready to cook, using this method will also help you cut down on dishes since the raw shrimp won't come into contact with a bowl or colander. Just make sure to give your sink a good scrub afterwards to remove any shrimpy water that may have been left behind.

Whether you're making fried rice or a delicious summer salad, shrimp is a quick and convenient way to add protein to your meal. And with this new defrosting trick from Brunch with Babs, preparing your shrimp will be almost as easy as eating them all up.