There are many ways to devein shrimps (or prawns as we call them in Asia). I’ll describe the method here so you can pick the most appropriate one for your preparation. Have fun!
Peel and devein shrimps the Gordon Ramsey way
His method is fast and easy:
- Off with the head
- Peel the prawn half way down
- Hold the peel part of the prawn and hold the unpeeled part with the other hand.
- Twist the prawn slightly on the tail end and pull with the other hand to free the prawn from the shell.
- Using a knife, slit open the top part of the prawn and extract out the vein.
- See the video demo on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNtpqxAd3eU
The Toothpick method (with/without shell & head)
You can use this method with the prawn peeled or unpeeled. You can do it from the tail end, or from the head side. For the tail end, poke the toothpick in horizontally just below the last and second section of the prawn and pull the toothpick upwards to pick out the vein and pull. Watch a video demo from YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eI-vAquXO7k
For the head side, poke the toothpick horizontally across the joint of the head and body, pull it upwards and the vein will come off. See video demo from YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eI-vAquXO7k
Twisting the prawn head (headless)
Simply twist and pluck off the head of the prawn. The vein should come off along with the head if its fresh. Otherwise, you’ll have to remove the vein using the other methods. See video demo from YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eI-vAquXO7k
Cut along the back (with/without shell & head)
You can also use a small knife or sharp scissors and make a small slit across the back of the shrimp from head to tail, then using the sharp tip of the knife, pick out the vein and pull. See video demo from YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eI-vAquXO7k
