Serious Eats / Debbie Wee Shrimp is one of my favorite sources of protein, but there’s nothing that can ruin a meal quite like biting into one and finding it's overcooked to the point of being rubbery or mushy. Shrimp cook quickly and can go from perfect to overdone in a matter of seconds, so it's critical to not overcook them. Beyond that, though, there's a technique we've long used on Serious Eats to ensure plump, juicy, snappy, and delicious shrimp: Dry brine it with a simple combo of baking soda and salt. It's a trick I employ every time I cook shrimp.  The Science Behind Why Shrimp Gets Mushy or Rubbery Before we dive into why the brine works, it’s important to note what’s happening to your shrimp when it cooks, and why it can take on a rubbery or mushy texture if cooked too long. “When you apply heat to any protein—meat, fish, eggs—the proteins denature and coagulate, bonding with each other to form a more solid structure,” explains Serious Eats editorial director Daniel Gritzer.…