When buying fresh shrimp, one of the most daunting thoughts of all home cooks is the prospect of deveining the crustacean. At the end of the day, however, it really isn’t that difficult if you just have a little bit of patience and know-how.
The “vein” inside of shrimp is actually the digestive tract of the animal. It looks like a black line inside of the shrimp’s body and contains things that, for obvious reasons, you probably don’t want to consume. It’s preferable to devein shrimp before cooking and consuming them, and it really isn’t that difficult to do so.
First, start off by placing your shrimp in a bowl of cold water. This will help to keep them fresh and free of bacteria while you prepare them. Take a shrimp out of the water and remove its shell. This will allow you to access the meat of the shellfish in order to remove the vein.
Next, take a paring knife and make a slit along the backside of the shrimp. This will expose the vein. Use the tip of the knife to reach the vein and remove it, doing your best not to tear up the meat. Discard of it, and place back into the cold water to keep fresh.
It’s as simple as that!
