Does a long marinade time matter for chicken, shrimp, etc?
I have no doubt that a long marinade makes a difference for coarsely striated meats like beef, pork, lamb and some fish. But I've got my doubts that marinating, say, chicken or (peeled) shrimp for several hours makes any substantial improvement over a brief marinating of 15 minutes or so. It doesn't seem to me that the marinade penetrates the meat deeply and rather simply coats it. If you use a dark marinade you can see this with beef, pork and lamb. The longer you marinate, the deeper you can see it penetrate. But not so with chicken and shrimp. I see no evidence a long marinade makes any difference.
Am I wrong?
Best Answer
No marinade penetrates very deeply in unless:
- The marinade is quite salty, as the salt can diffuse past cell membranes into the meat
- The marinade contains an active enzyme or acidic component which will denature the meat over time, allowing deeper penetration
Marination is by its very nature a surface treatment, although one that can add considerable flavor.
Kenji Alt at Serious Eats says (in regards to flank steak):
In reality, a marinade is mostly a surface treatment, and not much benefit lies in marinating for more than half a day or so. If you'd like the flavor of the marinade to completely coat your meat, your best bet is to reserve some marinade and simply toss your meat with it after it has been cooked and sliced.
I am more partial to the dry rub or wet rub myself.
See also:
- Washington Post article
- New York Times Article
- UGA Thesis on Vacuum Marination Penetration
- Amazing Ribs with experiment showing limited penetration into beef
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Quick Answer about "Does a long marinade time matter for chicken, shrimp, etc?"
If you use a dark marinade you can see this with beef, pork and lamb. The longer you marinate, the deeper you can see it penetrate. But not so with chicken and shrimp. I see no evidence a long marinade makes any difference.Does length of marinade matter?
Give it 5-6 hours for the best flavour and texture \u2013 if you don't have that long, even 10 minutes of marinating will give flavour to the outside of chicken. Marinades without acid can be left longer but won't make them work any better, so stick to 24 hours as a maximum.Is the longer you marinate the better?
Your best bet for achieving marination magic is to soak your chicken, pork chops or loins and steak at least 30 minutes, but never longer than overnight. The risk of a lengthy bath in the marinade comes back to acid.What happens if chicken marinade too long?
A marinade's ingredients also factor into what will happen if you leave the chicken marinating for too long. "Anything acidic could essentially cook the meat and break down the proteins within the meat," advises Danila. "This makes it mushy-tasting, and it would ruin the meat before you make it!"How long is too long chicken marinade?
Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.The Best Grilled Chicken - 3 Easy Recipes! | SAM THE COOKING GUY 4K
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Answer 2
I find that Lime or Lemon Juice will penetrate any meat or fish particularly fish or shellfish. In fact lime in its self is used very often in South America for preparing or curing dishes, for example Ceviche or Tiradito from Peru and when mixed with other ingredients such as ginger, garlic or chili the lime seems to act as vehicle to share these other flavours. As prawns are relatively small though I wouldn’t see any advantage in marinating these though unless as SAJ14SAJ suggests it it just to save on prep.
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