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Shrimp are delicious hot, warm or cold, full of health benefits and perfect for summer grilling and beach side picnics. I start to feel like Bubba from "Forrest Gump" when I'm listing all the ways I cook them -- shrimp salad, shrimp skewers, shrimp dipped in coconut, shrimp with chipotle and orange -- but I think the guy was on to something.
In addition to their versatility, shrimp, also called "fruit of the sea," are high in tryptophane. That's one of the 10 essential amino acids, serving to soothe the nervous system and aid relaxation. They also contain high amounts of vitamin D, the new super antioxidant being touted for cancer prevention.
Read on for Jennifer's four-step method for devining shrimp and the reason she gets funny looks at the grocery store.
I like shrimp because they are in fat and calories, but what about cholesterol? Recent studies show that the dietary cholesterol in shrimp does not substantially raise blood cholesterol, so they can be part of a scrumptious, healthy diet.
How do you devein shrimp?
Prepping shrimp is easy. I've cleaned a few thousand working in restaurants and in fact, I looked forward to it almost as much as cleaning squid. Here's my tried and true guide to all you need to know about cleaning shrimp. You don't even have to be a professional.
Step one: Pull off the tail. This makes it easier to remove the rest of the shell.
Step two: Remove the rest of the shell; it will easily pull away from the body.
Step three: Take a small paring knife and cut the back of the shrimp.
Step four: Remove the vein, which is the digestive tract, with the back of a knife.
How do you know if shrimp are fresh?
Most shrimp that you buy in the super market have been flash frozen for their voyage to their little ice beds where they look perfectly fresh. I always give them a sniff. I know people stare when I stick my nose over the Plexiglas, but if the shrimp are slimy, their shells are soft and starting to fall apart, or smell at all fishy or like ammonia, you know they've been around for a while.
Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.
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6-05-2009 @2:00PM burp_excuzme said... The only thing is, shrimp seems to be kind of expensive...any tips on bargain-buying?
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6-06-2009 @3:41PM instantzen said... The other thing is, shrimp (especially imported farmed and wild shrimp and prawns,) can be really harmful to the environment. Mangrove forests are destroyed to make shrimp farms, many other species are caught in trawling and simply thrown away. There's a great page with information about it here: http://www.sustainablesushi.net/the-fish/ebi/
Sadly, the world can't sustain our thoughtless consumption...
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6-06-2009 @6:38PM outdoorgriller said... Those are some good tips for checking to see if the shrimp are fresh. I love grilled shrimp especially on a skewer.If you want to take a look at the collection of tips and recipes I have for grilling you can visit www.cookingandgrillinoutdoors.com
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6-07-2009 @2:34PM Nicole said... If you want less expensive shrimp, buy medium or large size instead of jumbo, and never buy them already peeled. My local grocery store sells medium for $6 or $7 per pound and large for $8 or $9. These are deveined but not peeled or de-tailed.
Get used to checking prices in the seafood case - they vary wildly from week to week.
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6-10-2009 @6:19PM Jena said... It's been a while since I've had shrimp, but I do get to enjoy fresh prawns on a regular basis during May & June. (We have a friend who's a prawn fisherman.) Maybe you could do a post about the difference between prawns and shrimp, seeing as how so many people use the two names interchangably, but they're not really the same thing at all...
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