How to clean, devein and peel shrimp.

How to clean, devein and peel shrimp with step-by-step photos.
Learn the best and easiest way to clean fresh shrimp.

What you will learn in this guide on how to clean shrimp.

• How to prepare your workspace even before you start cleaning shrimp.
• How to devein shrimp.
• How to peel shrimp(deshell).
• How to eliminate the shrimp odour/smell on all your utensils.

Preparing workspace to clean shrimp.

Here are a few tips to make cleaning shrimp a little easier and more organized.

1. Clean the shrimp closer to your sink so you can transfer and wash the shrimp easily.
2. Remove all clutter around the workspace where you will be cleaning them. You don’t want the odour sticking onto your tea cups and plates.
3. Have a large shrimp waste bowl ready. Line the bowl with a bag.
   This way, you can store the shrimp waste and shelled skin in the freezer until you can dispose of them.
4. Have two medium-sized bowls ready, one for the shrimp you will be cleaning and the other for the cleaned shrimp.
5. Have a small sharp knife, toothpicks (2 or 3), and some kitchen towels ready.

How to remove the shrimp heads.

Simply hold the shrimp with your hand and the body of the shrimp with your other hand.
Then, pull apart; this should easily separate the head from the body.
Avoid twisting.

This can be a little messy, but keep some kitchen paper towels close or running water as you continue to remove the heads.
If you want a less messy way to remove the shrimp head, simply use a knife to cut the head off cleanly.

Once the head is removed, cut off the extra legs, including the long ones.

How to devein shrimp.

• So what exactly is the black vein in shrimp?
  • The black vein is the digestive tract of the shrimp. This is where all the waste(shrimp poo as some call it) is stored.

• Do you have to devein the shrimp?
  • The black vein in the shrimp is not known to be poisonous, but it is totally up to you.
  • Most prefer to devein the shrimp to avoid any unpleasant comments while serving them.

Two ways to devein shrimp.

1. The toothpick method.
   • If you are using the toothpick or cocktail method, there are two ways to hold the shrimp.

Once you decide on how to hold the shrimp, insert a toothpick or a cocktail stick between the shrimp shells.

Gently pull out the black vein and check if there are any more vein bits left.
If there are, insert the toothpick into the lower part of the shell and gently pull any remaining black veins.

2. Use kitchen shears to devein the shrimp.

• Using shears or a small knife to remove the vein is easier when the shrimp is large but difficult when they are medium or small.
• Simply insert the shear into the shrimp skin and slice through; you can see the black vein and easily remove it.
• Spread the shell, check if there are any remaining black veins and remove them gently.

How to peel shrimp.

Now that you have deveined the shrimp, you want to peel the shell off.
Simply use a small knife or paring knife to cut along the spine.
Once you remove the black vein, peeling the shell is easy.
Use your fingers to peel off the shell as shown in the images below.

How to get rid of the shrimp odour in the kitchen.

• You can get rid of the seafood odour by placing a small bowl of vinegar on your kitchen counter overnight to absorb the unpleasant odour.
• Cook with your windows open in the kitchen.
• Gently simmer a pot of cinnamon and orange or lemon peel for a few minutes.

Now that you’ve cleaned some shrimp, you can make your favourite shrimp recipe.

Recipe to cook with cleaned shrimp.

Easy sauteed shrimp
Bang bang shrimp
Shrimp teriyaki in 30 minutes.
Sweet and spicy shrimp