How To Peel And Devein Shrimp

Watch how to peel shrimp

Kitchen scissors: This will help remove the shell. Bowl of cold water: It’s important to keep shrimp cool, so if you have many shrimp to get through it may be ideal to keep a bowl of ice water to store them in before and after you peel and devein shrimp. Get one for the shell-on shrimp, and another one for the peeled shrimp. Toothpick: This is optional, but some people find it helpful to use a toothpick to hook up the vein. Personally, I just go for it with my hands!

Step 1: Remove the head

If this is your first time learning how to peel shrimp, you’re in the right place! I promise you, once you’ve done two or three, you’ll be an expert shrimp peeler! Let’s break it down, starting with our first simple step: removing the head of the shrimp.Most store-bought shrimp will already have their heads removed. If that’s the case for you, skip to the next step! If you’ve bought your shrimp from the fisher or caught your own, then you’ll want to do this step first.

Start by rinsing your shrimp. Hold the prawn with two hands: one firmly grasping the prawn’s head and the other holding the body of the shrimp just behind the head. Hold the head still, twist the body, then pull the head away from the body. It should come off surprisingly easily with a twisting motion.

Grab your shrimp and a pair of kitchen scissors. Hold the shrimp upright (with the legs on the bottom) and gently insert the tip of the scissors under the shell at the opening, where the head was, and make a little slit into the shell. Now, make small cuts along the shrimp’s back, stopping at the tail.

The next step is to remove the dark vein. To locate it, look on the top of the shrimp for a thin black line. That’s the vein! Once you’ve removed the shell, you can simply grab the vein and pull it off. Give your shrimp a quick rinse under cold running water to wash away any debris where the vein was.

If you’d like to remove the tail, hold the peeled shrimp in one hand, squeeze the tail just below where it attaches to the body, and gently pull. This will ensure that you get the bit of meat that is in the tail. One last thing! Before cooking, pat your shrimp dry with paper towels. This helps remove excess moisture so they cook evenly and will give them a nice sear if you’re making grilled shrimp!