How to peel raw, frozen and boiled shrimp. How to clean shrimp for cooking different dishes? How to Separate the Intestine from an Argentine Shrimp

Before peeling shrimp, experts advise to cook them unpeeled. This will exclude the possibility of microbes, dust particles and third-party components entering the meat during transportation and packaging (there is no guarantee that everything was done in compliance with all the established standards).

Buying unpeeled shrimp and then processing them yourself is not only safer, but also tastier! Boiling unpeeled, makes it possible to preserve their aroma and useful components.

Before you eat shrimp, you just need to remove the shell from them - this is an easy procedure, and many even like it!

In this article, we will tell you how to properly clean shrimp, whether peeled, raw or frozen.

How to peel raw shrimp

Of course, shrimps are delicious on their own, but they are often an ingredient in some kind of dish and they need to be cleaned before cooking, and you need to know how to properly clean raw shrimps so that they retain their qualities and naturally unique aroma.

Cleaning crustaceans in raw or boiled form involves several simple steps. Regardless of the type of shrimp, cleaning them is easy.

Let's describe the process step by step.


Video "How to clean raw"

How to peel shrimp if they are raw.

How to clean frozen

How to properly clean raw shrimp, we examined. Now we have to consider how to clean frozen ones. There are some nuances here.


How to clean boiled

Many people know how to clean boiled shrimp, but even in such a simple matter there are some subtleties and tricks.

Clean up in order.


Shrimp can be cleaned using any of the methods we have proposed, depending on the form in which you purchased them. Don’t worry if something doesn’t work right away and you might ruin a few things. With a little practice, you will start to get everything right.

How to eat shrimp

After cleaning, the question may arise, namely, how to eat shrimp? It all depends on your preferences. You can simply without any tricks, i.e. in a "pure" form. However, this is too banal for such a valuable and rather expensive product. It is better to cook them in some special way or even make a special dish.

For example, if you are a beer lover, then make an excellent fragrant snack from shrimp. It is quite easy to prepare.

When it turns golden, add the shrimp to it.

Fry until cooked and put on a platter. You can decorate with dill or parsley, you can also sprinkle with lemon juice.

But if you prefer pure shrimp, then you can make a kind of assortment, namely put on the same dish with other seafood (for example, squid) or crayfish.

Bon Appetit!

  • If you purchased boiled frozen shrimp, then in principle they are already ready and you can eat them. However, in order to achieve a more refined taste, we advise you to boil them a little.
  • If the shrimp are cooked correctly, then the cooked meat should be tender and soft, taste a little sweet, and have a pleasant aroma.
  • In order not to bother cleaning shrimp, buy peeled ones.
  • You can clean, namely, you can free the shrimp from the shell before cooking, or after.
  • It is better to buy large shrimp. Meat in them is not only more, but it is also a little tastier.

This video shows how to properly clean shrimp if they are frozen.

We spread it on a tray for 15 minutes - they defrost quickly.

Then we separate each shrimp from the block and make an incision on the back of the tail.

It is advisable to make an incision on a shrimp that has not yet been defrosted. Then we wash the back from the esophagus.

L1 (10-20) and L2(20-30) have a large esophagus compared to L3 and L4, so it is not necessary to remove the esophagus at L3 and L4.

And finally, a couple of nuances that are important to know. Since it is a freshly frozen product, it cannot be kept for more than 14 hours at a temperature of 0-6 C (i.e., in the refrigerator), as protein decomposition processes may begin, and you will see this on black paws.

"capricious" in relation to the temperature regime. For better preservation of shrimp (during transportation and storage), you should not save on cold. In the case of defrosting, the product may lose its presentation in a few hours (the shell darkens). The optimum storage temperature is -18C. It should be borne in mind that already at -10C, there is a possibility that after a while dark spots will appear on the shell.

Shrimps are one of the most common and loved by all seafood. Various Chinese and Mediterranean cuisines are prepared from them, or they are simply consumed boiled. At the same time, many are interested in the question of how to clean shrimp so that this activity brings a minimum of discomfort and takes a little time. The answer to it largely depends on the form in which the shrimp came to you, and what they will be used for in the future. For example, if they were purchased boiled-frozen, then before peeling the shrimp, they must be brought to room temperature, defrosted gradually in the refrigerator, using hot water, microwave, or simply boiled in boiling water with spices for 1-2 minutes. The last option will be the most successful for serving simply with beer as an appetizer. In this way, small shrimp are usually used, and each one cleans them for himself, tearing off his head with his fingers and carefully removing the shell. At the same time, it is advisable to serve with them small bowls of water flavored with lemon juice or with slices of this. Dipping your hands into it, you can get rid of the remnants of chitin, juice, as well as the smell inherent in all seafood.

How to peel king prawns?

These larger arthropods are typically used to prepare various meals, snacks or soups. For convenient use of shrimp, their tails are usually not torn off. Before cleaning the shrimp, they can be boiled (in some cases, the procedure is also done with raw ones). First, they tear off (cut off) the head, then carefully remove the shell and remove the legs. Next, you need to take a knife with a sharp end and make an incision along the entire back to remove the digestive tract from there. When it comes to smaller individuals, it can not be removed, since the procedure will be tedious and almost unnecessary (it is too small to be felt when consumed). As for the large king prawns, this must be done by all means, since the sand and plankton residues that these animals feed on can pretty much ruin your appetite.

How to clean shrimp for salads and main courses?

If this ingredient is used as one of the components for soup, the presence of a shell and even a head is allowed. Of course, eating such a dish may not be very convenient, but it will look attractive. If the chef cares about the comfort of connoisseurs of his skill, it would be better to remove everything unnecessary. For salads, shrimp are cleaned completely, leaving nothing extra. Unless a few pieces can be used entirely as decoration.

Sometimes these seafood are sold already peeled. Then they are completely ready to eat or use in soups, salads, etc. However, being without a shell for a long time, shrimp meat significantly loses its taste. For this reason, it is recommended to purchase them uncleaned. Of course, you will have to tinker a little (before cleaning the shrimp, you should be patient, especially if they are small), but the result will be much better than when using a semi-finished product.

Shrimps - primary processing,
cooking technology

Shrimp- belongs to the order of crustaceans, on the tables
Russian consumers appeared relatively recently
and until recently remained a delicacy.

The length of the shrimp, depending on the species, ranges from 2 to 30
centimeters.

Shrimps are warm water and cold water:

Warm water are considered the largest. To them
include - King prawns that reach up to 20
centimeters; Tiger prawns grow to
30 centimeters, despite their size, these species
shrimp cannot boast of their taste
qualities compared to cold water shrimp.

Cold water- the smallest shrimp, but is considered
tastier, healthier and more nutritious. than warm water
although they are cheaper, and the sizes are small.

Primary processing of shrimp:

For catering shrimp
come in live, raw-ice-cream, boiled-
ice cream, dried or canned.

The method of primary processing will depend on
thermal or culinary use of shrimp.

Raw-frozen raw shrimps -
defrost in running cold water or in air
at room temperature. Butchering
thawed shrimp by hand, we separate the cephalothorax
at the point of articulation with the neck. To get clean
meat from the necks remove the shell.

Watching video

When manually cutting raw shrimp, we get: yield
raw meat 20-40%; cephalothorax 35-45%; shell 15-25%.

Shrimp meat is rich in easily digestible protein,
vitamins and minerals such as:
calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine.

One of the main ways to cook shrimp
is cooking. You can peel shrimp from the shell as
before cooking and after.

Boiling raw shrimp in shell- per liter of water
take forty grams of salt. For one kilo of shrimp
take four liters of salted water. We cook no more
five minutes from the moment of boiling.

Boiling raw shrimp without shell- per liter of water
take twenty grams of salt. For one kilo of shrimp
take three liters of water. Cook for no more than three minutes
moment of boiling.

Large king or tiger prawns, cook in
salted water until it appears on the abdomen
folded protein.

Boiled-frozen shrimp cook in salted water
over two minutes. Shrimps with boiled meat should
float to the surface.

If, after cooking, the shrimp are lowered for 2-3 minutes in
cold water, the shrimp will be easier to peel.

Shrimp Cooking Technology

To enhance the taste and aroma of the dish,
shrimp are cooked together with the shell and head. If in
dish go peeled shrimp, shell and head are not
throw away. Fry them in olive oil
Add some boiling water and cook for another 15 minutes.
Shrimp broth is used for soups or sauces.

When cleaning large shrimp, tails can be left,
they give an aesthetic, attractive appearance to the finished
dish, and during meals are easily removed.

The black veins that are on the back of the shrimp can be
remove both before and after cooking shrimp.

boiled shrimp:

In a pot of water, add salt, a little lemon
juice, bay leaf, dill. Bring to a boil and
put the shrimp, putting the shrimp in boiling water, you can immediately turn off the fire and hold the shrimp in hot
water for half an hour, during which time the shrimp will reach
readiness and soaked in the aroma of spices.

Fried shrimps:

Rinse thawed raw shrimp in cold
water, then you need to blot the shrimp with paper
paper towel to remove moisture. In a deep frying pan
you need to melt the butter with a little
adding olive oil. In hot oil
lay out the prepared shrimp, add
black pepper, salt and fry for five to seven minutes, until
purchases of pink shrimp.

Deep fried shrimp- in a deep frying pan
pour vegetable oil to a height of several
centimeters and heat up. shrimp, cleaned
with the remaining tails, bread in flour and put in
hot oil, fry the shrimp for three
minutes, put the fried shrimp on paper
towel to remove excess fat.

Grilled shrimp:

The popular way today is
cooking large shrimp on the grill.

Small shrimp after primary processing, marinate in
marinade for one hour.

Marinade: for one kilogram of shrimp we need:
25 milliliters of olive oil, 20 milliliters of vinegar, better than wine, 15 grams of garlic, 100 milliliters
tomato sauce, salt, basil greens, red pepper.

Prepared small shrimps are strung on
wooden skewers and put on the grill. We fry according to
one and a half minutes on each side.

Marinated large shrimp
let it stand for one and a half to two hours and put it on the grill.
Fry for two minutes on each side.

In the article, we reviewed primary processing of shrimp,
main cooking methods. If the article is for you
liked or found useful for you leave your

First you need to make sure the freshness of the shrimp. Any shrimp should be stored in the refrigerator at -18 to -21 °C. Raw shrimp should be eaten within 48 hours of purchase, while cooked shrimp can be stored for 5-7 days. Frozen shrimp keep for 5-6 months.

Wash the shrimp. Put them in a colander and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Examine each carefully and set aside those that appear slimy, colorless, or have a strong fishy odor.

  • The temperature of the water in which you wash and defrost shrimp should be below room temperature. Shrimps cook very quickly, so hot water will make the texture of their meat sticky and gooey.
  • Get rid of your head. Grasp the head with your index finger and thumb, where it is connected to the body, and with the other hand, hold the tail firmly. Squeeze and twist the head to tear it away from the body.

    • Not in all cases, shrimp are sold with the head, and some people prefer to leave it in order to enhance the flavor of the finished dish. Heads can also be eaten, although this seems strange. Tear off your heads if you are a very squeamish person.
    • Put the heads in a separate bag and try to take it out as soon as possible, otherwise an unpleasant smell will appear very quickly. You can also leave the heads and make homemade seafood broth.
  • Pull off the legs. Having dealt with the head, turn the shrimp "belly" towards you. Squeeze the legs firmly with your fingertips and tear off towards the tail. This is easy enough to do, but you are unlikely to be able to remove all the legs the first time. Repeat the process to get rid of the remaining limbs.

    Remove the shell. There are several different ways to remove the shell, and the effectiveness of each depends on whether you are working with raw or already cooked shrimp. Try to start the process from where you ripped off the legs, and gradually remove the shell segments from the sides of the shrimp. This is the most common cleaning method.

    • Use your fingernail or small fruit knife to remove the shell segments one at a time. This can also be done by first removing the head and then stripping off the shell along the back of the shrimp. This method is no less effective.
    • Alternatively, you can use a knife to cut the shell along the curved part of the shrimp and then peel it off the sides. This method is most often used for cleaning raw shrimp, as you still have to get a vein out of them.
  • The tail fin can be removed if desired. Most often, shrimp are cooked along with the tail fin, but it all depends on the recipe. The tail fin is easy to remove, and for this it is necessary to slightly pull it to the side. Use a small knife to make a cut along the bottom of the tail if you can't remove the fin with your hands.

  • Remove the vein. A dark vein runs along the back of the shrimp, which acts as an intestinal tract. With a knife, you can get it if you make a deep cut in the pulp of the shrimp right along this vein.

    • The incision should not be too deep, just make an incision that will allow you to get to the vein (it is located approximately in the middle of the shrimp).
    • Pry the vein with the tip of the knife, and then pull your fingers towards the tail. The vein should come out easily. Check that the intestinal tract is completely removed.
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