by Tierney O'Hara

Created on: July 28, 2009   Last Updated: October 08, 2011

Shrimp, which in Middle English means pygmy, can be a giant of a problem when it comes to cleaning it for a recipe. Deveining or cleaning shrimp is never number one on anyone's list of favorite activities, but it is a necessary evil prior to cooking these flavorful and nutritious delicacies.

Getting the shell off is easy; most of the time it pulls off with a gentle tug. You can choose whether or not to leave the tail shell on or pull that off too. If you want, you can also use kitchen shears to cut through the top of the shell and then split it open and pull it off.

It's the deveining process that is tedious and unpleasant. Removing the blackish brown vein that runs down the back of the shrimp takes a bit of time but is worth it. That "vein" is actually the shrimp's digestive tract so there's some added incentive to remove it. It also is gritty and unattractive - better suited for trash cans than shrimp platters.

There is a tool specifically made to remove the vein, and many people do very well using a small, paring knife to remove the vein. Others say they have good luck using an old beer can opener. By placing the metal "vee"  of the opener above the vein, you can run it down the back of the shrimp which will open up the area and remove the vein at the same time.

Some crafty people use a dressmaker's seam ripper that has a double sharp edge while many people use a knife or even a finger nail to remove the dark matter.   If you use a knife, you can score the back of the shrimp and then remove the vein with a toothpick, knife point or your finger.

It's important to place your pre-cleaned shrimp in a big bowl of ice water so that the shrimp stay icy-cold while you remove the shell and the vein. Also, running the shrimp under the faucet helps to remove bits of shell and often will wash the loosened vein off the shrimp and into the sink. As you clean each shrimp, return it to the ice-water bath until you are finished deveining all your shrimp.

Before cooking pat your shrimp dry and you're ready to go. For recipes with thick sauces, remove the tails but for most other recipes the tails are used as a "handle" or when deep fried, a crisp special treat that is completely edible.

If you want, you can make a delicious broth by boiling your shrimp shells with 1/2 onion, 2 ribs celery and 2 carrots in 2 cups of water plus 1/2 cup white wine or beer to pump up the flavor. This broth can be frozen for later, and used for soups, scampi and sauces.

The big effort you put into deveining these tiny treasures will have a big pay-off when your friends and family are dining on the immaculately clean, pristine shrimp you've lovingly prepared.

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