Use This Type Of Mustard For A Top-Tier Shrimp Marinade

Shrimp cooks so quickly that tacking a ton of prep work onto the scant few minutes those petite shellfish morsels take to sear, roast, steam, or grill can seem kind of silly. They also pack in a fair amount of flavor even absent a lot of adornment: they are slightly sweet and mild, with a tender texture. But anyone who's put shrimp scampi in their easy weeknight dinner rotation one too many times will tell you that variety really is the spice of this versatile crustacean. And a honey mustard marinade is the easy enhancement you need to renew your interest in shrimp night.

Could one simply swap the sauce of shrimp cocktail with honey mustard and enjoy the switcheroo? Sure, why not. Honey amplifies the shrimp's slight sweetness, while the mustard component keeps it all from becoming too cloying. It's just a terrific pairing in a lot of different recipes. But marinating has perhaps the most potential applications across the aforementioned skillets, baking sheets, stockpots, and live fires. And you can make a great honey mustard marinade with the dressing that you might already have in your refrigerator, a couple of other common ingredients, and a little consideration for the ticking clock.

Have a look and a taste of your honey mustard dressing to determine what else might make it an even better shrimp bath. It's unlikely to need any extra sugar, but a little acid like lime juice will liven it up a bit. It might already be seasoned, too, but a few extra shakes of black pepper never hurt. Some cayenne pepper can add any further heat you seek. And fresh herbs like cilantro will make the whole thing seem a little more homemade. Once that's all combined in something like a resealable plastic bag, then it can go the shrimp. Just not for too long.

Shrimp are dainty, and obviously different than something like a steak, which typically can handle a longer and more aggressive marinade. Shrimp, instead, can soak up some nice flavor in as little as 15 minutes, when covered with the mixture in the refrigerator. And you really do not want to exceed about an hour, after which the shrimp are likely to lose their firm but yielding texture, and end up rubbery. Once your buzzer rings, you can continue on with a lot of the shrimp recipes you already love, and finish them on the stovetop, under the broiler, or wherever you prefer to cook your seafood in just a few more minutes.