Freezer Burned Shrimp - What You Should Do

It’s hard to understand what causes our food to get freezer burn. It may be that they were not well sealed. They may have been in the freezer too long. Or it can be something totally different.

There is nothing worse than freezer burnt food. As hard as we try, it seems to attack our food without our permission and we have to deal with the consequences. Freezer burnt shrimp is one such culprit. Meats are incredibly difficult to avoid getting freezer burn or to use and try to hide freezer burn.

What can you do when your shrimp end up with freezer burn? There are many ways you can try to avoid freezer burn, but there are also things you can do to cook your shrimp and perhaps mask any freezer burn taste they might pick up. 

In this guide, we’ll talk about how to tell if your shrimp are freezer burned, as well as the things you can do to consume them anyway. There are many things around shrimp and freezer burn that we will cover in this article, all of them related and useful.

Read on to learn about freezer burnt shrimp in full detail.

Your Guide to Shrimp and Freezer Burn

Freezer burn is nothing new. It’s something we’ve been dealing with in all sorts of foods for as long as freezers have been around. As hard as we try, it seems our food falls victim to freezer burn all too often and what can we do about it?

Believe it or not, there are a few things you can do to bring your food back to life when it falls victim to freezer burn.  There are also some specific tips that may or may not help prevent freezer burn.

One of the nice things about shrimp is that there are times when you might think they are freezer burned because they have a coating of ice on them, but they really aren’t. It is a very pleasant surprise when you get down to business.

Freezer Burn Explained

Before we get into frostbite, we should talk about what frostbite is. It’s pretty clear that freezer burn occurs in the freezer, but what exactly causes freezer burn? And are there certain ways to avoid freezer burn?

Freezer burn is usually caused by air getting on your food in the freezer.  The air causes dehydration and oxidation of your food, which can have multiple types of effects. In the case of fillets, you may notice some discoloration. In the case of frozen vegetables , clumps of ice may stick to them.

Most of the time, the best way to reduce freezer burn is to make sure it’s well wrapped . Vacuum sealing meats is one of the best ways to prevent freezer burn.

When you buy packaged foods at the store, you assume they’re designed to protect the inside of your freezer, but that’s not always the case.

You can look for gray-brown or leathery-looking spots on meats and foods for signs of freezer burn.  Freezer burn may not affect the entire item to which it is attached. It may only affect a small piece or serving, especially when it comes to freezer burnt meat.

What else you should know is that freezer burn does not make your food spoil or unsafe. While still fully edible, the texture of the food may be slightly affected.

You can also upgrade your food by removing freezer burn. This is not always an option, but it is something to keep in mind.

For a quick description of frostbite, check out this MinuteEarth video on YouTube.

How to Recognize Freezer Burn on Shrimp

We’ve talked about how freezer burn can show up on your food, but how can you tell for sure whether or not your shrimp have freezer burn? Shrimp stored in the freezer will naturally have a layer of ice.

This layer of ice does NOT necessarily mean your shrimp are freezer burned. In fact, this coating of ice on shrimp can help prevent freezer burn.

Most of the time, you can defrost shrimp, dry it, and cook it normally . Thanks to that layer of ice, they will be tender and juicy and have a great flavor.

This isn’t always the case, but understand that seeing an ice sheet isn’t always a sign of bad news. It can be a sign that your prawns are well protected and will be deliciously juicy and flavorful when you are ready to enjoy them.

There are several signs that your shrimp may be freezer burned.

Here are some things you can look for specifically. 

• opaque color
• white discoloration
• Appear tough or tough
• Individual spots that appear dry or discolored
• Uneven coloration in the prawns

Remember that these are just some basic signs to identify freezer burn on your shrimp. The shrimp should still be safe to cook and eat, you just might notice that they are dry or slightly tough instead of juicy. Most likely the texture is affected, but it can often be fixed.

Cooking Shrimp With Freezer Burn

You can’t always avoid freezer burn, despite your best efforts. If your shrimp have noticeable freezer burn, don’t give up hope. You can still use the shrimp, although there are some ways to use it that may be better than others.

When shrimp are freezer burned, the most noticeable change is that they dry out . Dryness can make them slightly hard.

There are things you can do to continue enjoying shrimp. 

Even if you don’t feel like eating the prawns plain because they have lost part of the juicy texture that many of us love and like, you can still enjoy them in many other ways and most likely you won’t even notice that the prawns have burned. in the freezer.

The best way to use up your shrimp when you notice they are freezer burned is to cook them on a plate . There are many delicious prawn dishes that incorporate prawns into parts of the dish which can help mask freezer burn.

There are also many sauces you can make to coat the prawns, which can also help the flavor and texture. If you only have a small portion of freezer burnt shrimp, you can always discard that section or portion and prepare the rest of the shrimp however you like.

Here are some ideas for dishes you can make that will turn out delicious whether or not the shrimp are freezer burned. 

• Prawns with prawns
• Prawns in paste
• pesto prawns
• marinated prawns
• Use them in soup or fish soup
• Add to jambalaya
• Add to fried rice
• prawn cakes
• Mix it in a stir fry

There are many things you can do to enjoy your shrimp after it’s been freezer burnt. The best way to disguise the texture of freezer burn is to add sauce or mix the shrimp together on a plate. What you should avoid the most is that the prawns are the main part of the recipe or that they are dry.

We also do not recommend frying freezer burnt shrimp or eating it plain. You just won’t enjoy them as much. 

We want to remind you that shrimp are still safe when they are freezer burned. There is nothing special you have to do to eat your shrimp, just be aware that the flavor and texture may be affected.

The shelf life of frozen prawns

Frozen shrimp can last several months in the freezer if you store it properly. Although we hope that the store’s packaging is infallible for preserving our shrimp, this is not always the case.

The best thing is to repack your prawns and know without a doubt that they are well sealed and airtight. 

If properly sealed and stored, shrimp should last up to 6 months without danger of freezer burn. The recommended storage time for shrimps is 3 to 6 months. We simply recommend that you leave them no longer to enjoy the best prawns possible.

This is our recommended storage process to try to prevent freezer burn. 

1. Wrap the shrimp in plastic wrap or leave them in store packaging.
2. Place the shrimp in another container or a heavy-duty freezer bag for a double layer of protection.
3. Label and date the container.
4. Store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

You should be able to continue using your shrimp even after the 6 month period. The thing to keep in mind here is that 6 months is the maximum recommended time to enjoy the best prawns . It’s basically an expiration recommendation, but they really will last indefinitely in the freezer if stored properly.

The longer the shrimp sits in the freezer, the more susceptible it is to getting freezer burn despite your best efforts.

Tips to Avoid Freezer Burn

There are a few additional steps you can take to prevent freezer burn. In the previous section we have seen that we recommend using a double layer to give your shrimp maximum protection.

Don’t just rely on store packaging to protect your shrimp. What we have found is that store packaging is often ineffective in protecting shrimp when stored for more than a couple of weeks.

We are not sure why the store packaging is not very reliable, but the statement comes from experience.

The best thing you can do to avoid freezer burn is to take your shrimp storage into your own hands.  This way you will know without a doubt how well they have been packed and you can be more confident that your prawns will stay fresh.

We recommend always using a double layer of protection.  First wrap your shrimp in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Wrapping them in one of these will extend the shelf life of the shrimp in the freezer and will also reduce the chance of freezer burn.

Of course, there is no guarantee, but these methods have had the highest levels of success. You can leave it in the original wrapper and then put another layer on top, but we recommend that you open it up and use that plastic wrap or aluminum foil to start with.

Once you’ve wrapped the shrimp in the initial layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil, you should place the wrapped shrimp in a heavy-duty freezer bag or freezer-safe storage container. 

Whatever container you choose for the shrimp, make sure it is well sealed. The fact that the shrimp are tightly sealed from the air is what will help prevent them from getting freezer burn. Remember that it is the air in the freezer that usually causes freezer burn.

If you manage to keep the air out effectively, you can most likely avoid freezer burn on your shrimp. Essentially, no single method will fully protect your shrimp from freezer burn, but two layers working together can significantly improve the odds.

You can also vacuum seal your shrimp.  We recommend that you continue to use a double layer method if you vacuum seal the shrimp. That second layer can go a long way in protecting your shrimp effectively.

It is certainly worth a try to ensure that your prawns maintain that delicious juicy flavor and soft texture that we all know and love about prawns. Better safe than sorry is our motto, because we know freezer burnt shrimp is no fun.

Be sure to label and date all containers so you know how long the shrimp have been frozen.

Related questions

We hope this guide to help avoid freezer burn or work with shrimp that have suffered freezer burn is an effective tool for you. There are many ways to work with freezer burnt shrimp, as well as many tips for trying to avoid freezer burn altogether. 

In the next section, you will find some popular questions and answers. We invite you to review this information in the hope that you will find something useful and informative.

Do the prawns go bad with the food from the freezer?

Freezer burn is a negative side effect on your food. However, it does not make the shrimp unsafe to eat. Freezer burnt food won’t make you sick and it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up your shrimp.

Freezer burn will affect the texture, color and potentially the flavor of your shrimp . Remember that it will most likely make it quite dry and not very juicy. In short, the prawns are not bad, but they will certainly need some TLC to keep them delicious.

How can you “cut” freezer burn off shrimp?

Prawns are not a large food. Most of the prawns are small in size and insubstantial. If you cut a portion of shrimp, you can lose a whole piece. Shrimp are usually sold in a bulk bag of a certain number of pounds.

The concept of removing shrimp freezer burn, in this case, would likely refer to throwing out or removing a specific portion of shrimp, rather than simply cutting pieces from multiple parts of shrimp.

At what temperature do prawns freeze?

Shrimp should be frozen to a minimum temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit. A 0 degree freezer is the best way to freeze your shrimp for the long term. If your freezer is too cold, you may be more susceptible to freezer burn.