Use Beer To Add A Variety Of Flavors To Shrimp

Unless you're allergic, you've almost certainly had shrimp plenty of times -- the stuff is everywhere and there are plenty of different types of shrimp. But you might not realize just how ubiquitous shrimp actually is in America: it's the most popular seafood in the U.S., and we consume the second-highest amount of it per capita in the entire world, at over three times that of Europe (although to be fair, Japan more than doubles our consumption). And there's no shortage of ways to cook it, either; from shrimp scampi to coconut shrimp to ceviche to a humble shrimp cocktail, there's a lot you can do with shrimp. You can also, like a lot of other foods, cook it with beer.

Here's the fun part, though: you can cook shrimp in beer without it ever actually touching the beer itself. Instead, what you're going to want to do is steam the shrimp over a pot of boiling beer. This will give you the flavor of beer without overwhelming your shellfish -- or affecting its texture.

Read more: 13 Tips To Make Your Shrimp Taste So Much Better

Steam The Shrimp Above The Beer To Impart The Right Level Of Flavor

It's important to remember that you don't necessarily need to expose food directly to a substance for that substance to impart some of its most interesting qualities. Cooking beer directly with shrimp is certainly possible, but beer has a potent enough flavor that unless you're careful (and use just the right type of beer), it's likely to overpower the shellfish.

Instead, the move is to mix beer and seasonings like lemon juice, salt, herbs, and whatever else in a large pot. Then, you want to use a steamer basket to rest the shrimp (and whatever vegetables you're cooking with it) well above the beer, then cover it. As you bring the beer to a boil and then back down to a simmer, the evaporating beer will infuse the shrimp with its flavor. Just make sure to use quality beer; the rule when cooking with beer is to only cook with stuff you'd want to drink regardless.

There are a few types that go especially well with shellfish. Lighter beers -- like a golden ale or a pilsner -- tend to have milder flavors and high carbonation that blends well with seafood. Any beer with a heavy citrus component (a lot of wheat beers have this) should also mesh well; there's a reason lemon is such a common addition to seafood.

There Are Some Varieties Of Beer You Should Probably Avoid With Shrimp

On the other hand, while you can use a number of different varieties of beer for this, there are probably a few you want to avoid, as not every type of beer will turn out well when you combine it with seafood. You probably don't want to cook with IPAs in general -- the intense hoppiness will overpower pretty much any food -- but there are some extras you should avoid with shrimp. In particular, stay away from dark beers because they tend to have a robust and earthy flavor that won't mesh well with the rest of the plate. Those are good for something like steak but tend to overwhelm seafood.

As long as you don't use the wrong beer, steaming your shrimp with brew can be a great way to impart new and interesting flavors to your shellfish. Don't be afraid to experiment!

Read the original article on Daily Meal.