The Secret Ingredient to Juicy, Flavorful Shrimp Is Already in Your Fridge

Shrimp is one of easiest, tastiest proteins to cook at home. At my house, we often serve it with lots of crisp vegetables and a spicy chimichurri as an appetizer for big gatherings, and also enjoy it for dinner for just our little family.

But I didn’t always feel this way about shrimp. In fact, it wasn’t until I began prepping shrimp with a simple pantry ingredient that I realized how easy it is to make it juicy and flavorful every single time. I’m just mad I didn’t think of this sooner!

Yogurt is the secret ingredient for foolproof shrimp every time — and it works especially well with high-heat cooking methods (such as grilling, roasting, or quick sautés). It doesn’t matter whether you keep Greek or plain, full-fat or low-fat yogurt on hand — the acidity of any variety of yogurt will gently tenderize the shrimp before you cook it. The fat from the yogurt also protects the shrimp from drying out and keeps it from sticking, which is especially helpful if you’re cooking it on the grill. For an extra boost of flavor just add garlic, lemon juice, or fresh herbs to the yogurt before adding the shrimp.

Here’s how to do it: Add your peeled and deveined shrimp to a mixture of yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs and toss to coat (you’ll need 1 cup of yogurt for every 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp). Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes while you prepare the grill or preheat the oven. While I’m sharing a recipe for yogurt-marinated grilled shrimp below, I’d also recommend trying this technique with our sheet pan shrimp and broccoli, too. Oh, and if you become as obsessed as we are, you’ll want to try out yogurt-marinated chicken, too.

Get the complete step-by-step: How To Grill Juicy, Flavorful Shrimp