How to Easily Clean And Devein Shrimp

Fresh shrimp has to be cleaned and the vein removed before it can be cooked.

Fresh shrimp is always the best to work with, but that does mean you must clean and devein each shrimp. This should not take more than a few minutes since there is a fast way to do it.

Things You'll Need

• Serrated steak knife

Instructions

1. Pinch the heads between the thumb and lower section of an index finger until they break off. You may chop them off if you are uncomfortable the hands-on method.

2. Insert the knife about 1/2 inch deep through the shell on the back side of shrimp and cut all the way to the tail. Using the tip of knife, get under the black vein and hold the shrimp under running water. You may have to give the vein a tug to pull it out.

3. Hold the shrimp's legs, and pull them around the body of the shrimp. The shell should come off in one small tug.

4. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water before proceeding with any cooking method.

Tips & Warnings

• Shrimp can go bad quickly, so it must be kept cold. If you must clean a large amount of shrimp, prepare a bowl of ice water in advance and place any cleaned shrimp in the bowl.

• Use care working with sharp knives.

• Don't leave raw shrimp out very long, it goes bad quickly.

References

• Cooking Enthusiast: How to Clean and Devein Shrimp