Just Because You Can Microwave Shrimp Doesn't Mean You Should

Fresh shrimp should strike a balance between juicy tenderness and meaty bite. Rapid, high-heat cooking methods work particularly well, as you can toss them on the grill – remember to pat the shrimp dry first – or into a sizzling skillet to get a nice, caramelized finish in just a few minutes. So, if shrimp cook fast, you may be thinking that the microwave is the perfect corner-cutting appliance to heat these bad boys up. However, you would be wrong — very, very wrong.

While cooking methods like grilling and sauteing transfer heat evenly through conduction from the surface of the shrimp to the inside, microwaves transmit heat unevenly via electromagnetic waves, meaning that different parts of the food cook at different rates. (This is why you often have to pause and stir your microwave meal midway through to ensure all of it gets heated.) While this is okay for cooking low-risk foods or foods that can be microwaved for longer to ensure they are hot all the way through, failing to cook shrimp properly could be a health hazard. Raw shrimp can harbor bacteria, like Vibrio, salmonella, and E. coli, that cause serious foodborne illnesses.

Beyond safety, microwaving shrimp doesn't deliver the appetizing sear that shellfish gets from the grill or pan-cooking methods, meaning it can take on a rubbery texture — not what you're looking for in a seafood dinner. While there are a few ways you can get around this (for example, by using the microwave to steam shrimp in a large quantity of melted butter or broth) this should really be a last resort. If you want to add shrimp to a Thai-inspired soup or a shrimp curry, it's best to saute your shrimp first before adding them to the stew near the end.

If you can get over the less-than-perfect texture of microwaved shrimp, there is one more reason we don't advise hitting start on the microwave just yet. Namely, the smell. Microwaves tend to retain powerful odors, meaning you'll get hit with a faceful of ripe shrimp smell every time you open the door for the next few days. (Don't worry if this does happen, though — cleaning the microwave with lemon juice can freshen things up.)