dinenw.com

If you've peeled your own shrimp (and saved the shells for stock) at home recently, you may have encountered the quandary of whether or not to devein the shrimp. While most recipes call for shrimp to be peeled and deveined (removed of its intestinal tract), it's not always necessary to devein shrimp. So what's the story?

 

"Deveining" has nothing to do with veins. To devein a shrimp is to remove the black threadlike intestinal tract that runs along its back. In larger shrimp and jumbo prawns the intestinal track is often dark and can contain grit. You won't fall ill from eating jumbo prawns if these aren't removed; however, it's recommended that you remove them, not only for cosmetic reasons, but also to avoid affecting the shrimp's clean taste. But whether or not to devein smaller shrimp is a matter of preference.When cooking with smaller shrimp that have a translucent-hued tract, deveining is unnecessary.

Some people think the flavor of a dish is enhanced by leaving it in (or that it's just too much trouble to remove the harmless tract). The perfectionists among us remove it for aesthetic purposes.

 

How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

Step 1: Pull Off the head (if still attached) and legs.
Step 2: Pull off the outer shell, starting with the head end.
Step 3: Cut along the outer edge of the shrimp's back using a small pairing knife, about 1/4 inch deep.
Step 4: Remove and discard the vein that runs under the surface of the back with your fingers or the tip of your knife.