Simple Shrimp in Shell

aem said:

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on.

This is the part I've never found simple.

Steve

"Steve Pope" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

aem said:

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on.

This is the part I've never found simple.

Steve

Using something rough, but not sharp. A washcloth works nicely, while
holding the shrimp under running water.

Steve Pope said:

aem said:

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on.

This is the part I've never found simple.

Steve

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the
shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

Skyhooks
""aahtt""
s b c g l o b a l
""ddoott""
n e t

Skyhooks said:

Quoted message said:

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the

shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

A lot of frozen shrimp comes deveined, with and without shell. But I
don't know why you'd have trouble figuring it out. Use a small sharp
knife to make a slit along the shell where the vein is. Use something
blunter, like the point of a churchkey-type can opener to scrape out
the vein. Just a little practice and it's quite easy. -aem

Skyhooks said:

Steve Pope said:

aem said:

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on.

This is the part I've never found simple.

Steve

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the
shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

It's pretty easy. Hold the shrimp flat against the board. Run
a finely serrated knife along the back in an arc, cutting through
the shell and part way through the flesh. Remove vein.

Using the proper knife is key. Small serrations make easy
work of cutting through the shell.

--
Reg

"Reg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Skyhooks said:

Steve Pope said:

aem <[email hidden]> wrote:

>Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on.

This is the part I've never found simple.

Steve

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the
shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

It's pretty easy. Hold the shrimp flat against the board. Run
a finely serrated knife along the back in an arc, cutting through
the shell and part way through the flesh. Remove vein.

Using the proper knife is key. Small serrations make easy
work of cutting through the shell.

--
Reg

Small kitchen scissors work nicely, too. Like these, which will also go
through small, woody branches, chicken bones, or your finger:
http://www.joycechen.com/jc/common/index.php?lng=ENG&div=BB&nav=BB&page=B12

In article <[email hidden]>,

aem said:

Frozen raw shrimp in their shells is one of my favorite things to keep
in the freezer for last-minute meal decisions. (Trader Joe's product
is excellent and not too costly.) There are jillions of recipes for
shrimp but sometimes simple is best.

1 lb. shrimp in shells (thawed or fresh)
3 TB peanut [or canola or safflower oil]
2 slices fresh ginger
2 scallions, cut in 1" lengths

Mix together:
1 TB Shaoxing wine [or dry sherry]
2 TB dark soy sauce (the thicker, darker kind)
2 TB sugar
1 or 2 tsp Chinkiang (black) vinegar [or balsamic, or red wine
vinegar]

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on. Heat wok or heavy frypan
and add oil. Leave heat on high and keep the wok very hot. Stirfry
ginger and scallions for about 30 seconds, until they flavor the oil
and produce an aroma. Add shrimp, stirfry for 1 minute, then add the
sauce mixture. Continue stirfrying for about 2 more minutes, until
shrimp are just cooked and the sauce has glazed. Don't overcook! May
be served hot or cold. -aem

Mmm, I love fresh sautee'd shrimp, I'd add a bit of garlic to that.

But I always take the shells off, and cook just until all of them are
pink. Overcooked shrimp sux.
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

In article <[email hidden]>,

Skyhooks said:

Steve Pope said:

aem said:

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on.

This is the part I've never found simple.

Steve

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the
shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

Skyhooks
""aahtt""
s b c g l o b a l
""ddoott""
n e t

Snip the shell up the back with a pair of nail scissors, and just slice
deep enough to get to the vein and pull/rinse it out.
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

Doug Kanter said:

"Reg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's pretty easy. Hold the shrimp flat against the board. Run
a finely serrated knife along the back in an arc, cutting through
the shell and part way through the flesh. Remove vein.

Using the proper knife is key. Small serrations make easy
work of cutting through the shell.

Small kitchen scissors work nicely, too. Like these, which will also go
through small, woody branches, chicken bones, or your finger:
http://www.joycechen.com/jc/common/index.php?lng=ENG&div=BB&nav=BB&page=B12

That surely works, but I prefer the method I described because
it only requires a single step. Instead of first snipping the shell,
then cutting out the vein, etc. I devein all my shrimp this way.

--
Reg

aem said:

Skyhooks said:

Quoted message said:

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the

shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

A lot of frozen shrimp comes deveined, with and without shell. But I
don't know why you'd have trouble figuring it out. Use a small sharp
knife to make a slit along the shell where the vein is. Use something
blunter, like the point of a churchkey-type can opener to scrape out
the vein. Just a little practice and it's quite easy. -aem

True, and I've purchased both. But I generally don't cook shrimp with
the shells on, anywho. When I rarely do cook shrimp with the shells on,
I devein afterwards.

Sky

"Reg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

"Reg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's pretty easy. Hold the shrimp flat against the board. Run
a finely serrated knife along the back in an arc, cutting through
the shell and part way through the flesh. Remove vein.

Using the proper knife is key. Small serrations make easy
work of cutting through the shell.

Small kitchen scissors work nicely, too. Like these, which will also go
through small, woody branches, chicken bones, or your finger:
http://www.joycechen.com/jc/common/index.php?lng=ENG&div=BB&nav=BB&page=B12

That surely works, but I prefer the method I described because
it only requires a single step. Instead of first snipping the shell,
then cutting out the vein, etc. I devein all my shrimp this way.

--
Reg

OK - see what you mean. But, sometimes I find that the vein has
disintegrated, maybe from being frozen & thawed. I need to wipe them out.

Skyhooks said:

[snip] But I generally don't cook shrimp with
the shells on, anywho. When I rarely do cook shrimp with the shells on,
I devein afterwards.

For me, it depends on the recipe/sauce. I do think shrimp have a
little more flavor when cooked with the shells on. If the dish or
sauce is going to be strong and mask the shrimp taste I'll shell them
first because that extra flavor is going to get lost anyway. When the
whole dish will allow the full flavor of the shrimp to come out, as in
this one, I leave the shells on.

There's a classic Chinese dish with one of those deceptively simple
names like "salt and pepper shrimp" that is nothing more than shrimp
deepfried for less than a minute and then mixed with a szechuan pepper
and salt combination. That's where I became convinced that shrimp
shells are a good thing.

Now that I think of it, Diana Kennedy also has a good method for
pre-cooking shrimp before they are sauced or served. She wraps them in
foil and bakes them for five or ten minutes (I forget) in a hot oven.
Then she shells them and goes on with the recipe(s). -aem

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the
shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

You need a small very sharp knife. I find it easiest with the 1" blade
on my pocket knife. Hold the knife so just enough - perhaps 1/4 inch,
depends on the shrimp - is sticking out between your fingers. Run the
knife down the shrimp along the vein. The idea is to cut the shell and
slit the meat down to the vein. Pinch the opposite side of the shrimp to
open the cut you just made. Remove the vein.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

"aem" wrote >

Quoted message said:

Skyhooks said:

Quoted message said:

I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the

shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

A lot of frozen shrimp comes deveined, with and without shell. But I
don't know why you'd have trouble figuring it out. Use a small sharp
knife to make a slit along the shell where the vein is. Use something
blunter, like the point of a churchkey-type can opener to scrape out
the vein. Just a little practice and it's quite easy. -aem

Does anyone know how well these gadgets work? I've been tempted to buy one.

http://tinyurl.com/mgeze

Dora

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

limey said:

"aem" wrote >

Quoted message said:

Skyhooks said:

> I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the
shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

A lot of frozen shrimp comes deveined, with and without shell. But I
don't know why you'd have trouble figuring it out. Use a small sharp
knife to make a slit along the shell where the vein is. Use something
blunter, like the point of a churchkey-type can opener to scrape out
the vein. Just a little practice and it's quite easy. -aem

Does anyone know how well these gadgets work? I've been tempted to buy one.

http://tinyurl.com/mgeze

Dora

Quoted message said:

I've seen them, never tried them.
I just use a paring knife to slit the shell then slice them down the
back. In a really fresh shrimp, the vein is solid and can be
picked/pulled out in one piece using your fingernails. QED. :-)
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

"limey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"aem" wrote >

Quoted message said:

Skyhooks said:

> I have yet to figure out how to devein a shrimp without taking the
shells off <G>! And I've deveined a lot of shrimp.

A lot of frozen shrimp comes deveined, with and without shell. But I
don't know why you'd have trouble figuring it out. Use a small sharp
knife to make a slit along the shell where the vein is. Use something
blunter, like the point of a churchkey-type can opener to scrape out
the vein. Just a little practice and it's quite easy. -aem

Does anyone know how well these gadgets work? I've been tempted to buy
one.

http://tinyurl.com/mgeze

Dora

Quoted message said:

One thing I don't like about deveining shrimp is that one has to puncture
the skin of the shrimp, which once punctured obviously lets nice juices from
the shrimp to drain out while cooking, thus toughening them up. I know they
are not in the heat for but a minute or two, but I would think it would be
better to devein them afterwards. But I don't. I can't stand looking at
these carriers of their undigested food -- Yuk! If I had to eat a piece of
it -- up it would chuck!

I have one of these gadgets in my 20 year old 'still unopened packages' box
of magic tricks. So I don't know -- sounded like a good idea at the time.
Dee Dee

aem said:

Frozen raw shrimp in their shells is one of my favorite things to keep
in the freezer for last-minute meal decisions. (Trader Joe's product
is excellent and not too costly.) There are jillions of recipes for
shrimp but sometimes simple is best.

1 lb. shrimp in shells (thawed or fresh)
3 TB peanut [or canola or safflower oil]
2 slices fresh ginger
2 scallions, cut in 1" lengths

Mix together:
1 TB Shaoxing wine [or dry sherry]
2 TB dark soy sauce (the thicker, darker kind)
2 TB sugar
1 or 2 tsp Chinkiang (black) vinegar [or balsamic, or red wine
vinegar]

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on. Heat wok or heavy frypan
and add oil. Leave heat on high and keep the wok very hot. Stirfry
ginger and scallions for about 30 seconds, until they flavor the oil
and produce an aroma. Add shrimp, stirfry for 1 minute, then add the
sauce mixture. Continue stirfrying for about 2 more minutes, until
shrimp are just cooked and the sauce has glazed. Don't overcook! May
be served hot or cold. -aem

Why do you leave the shell on?

STRATEGY

STRATEGY said:

Quoted message said:

Devein shrimp, if needed, leave shells on. Heat wok or heavy frypan
and add oil. Leave heat on high and keep the wok very hot. Stirfry
ginger and scallions for about 30 seconds, until they flavor the oil
and produce an aroma. Add shrimp, stirfry for 1 minute, then add the
sauce mixture. Continue stirfrying for about 2 more minutes, until
shrimp are just cooked and the sauce has glazed. Don't overcook! May
be served hot or cold. -aem

Why do you leave the shell on?

I frequently BBQ marinated shrimp in the shell. There are a few advantages
that I can think of. Most important is that the shrimp taste better cooked
in the shell. The other has to do with the work. If I peel them all before
marinating it's a lot of work. I let the people eating them to that part. It
has the added bonus of the extra work peeling them making a batch of shrimp
last longer.

Dave Smith said:

Quoted message said:

Why do you leave the shell on?

I frequently BBQ marinated shrimp in the shell. There are a few advantages
that I can think of. Most important is that the shrimp taste better cooked
in the shell. The other has to do with the work. If I peel them all before
marinating it's a lot of work. I let the people eating them to that part. It
has the added bonus of the extra work peeling them making a batch of shrimp
last longer.

Forgot to mention the other reason.... the shells are great indicators of the
shrimp being done. They turn pink. The shrimp curl when they are cook so you
have to watch for the colour and curl, making sure they are pink but trying to
get them off the heat before they curl too tight or they will be overcooked and
tough.