There may be many ways to clean shrimp but learning how to clean raw shrimp the proper way can save you hours of working in your kitchen before you get to cooking it.
So, what is an easy way to learn how to clean raw shrimp? How many steps do you think are involved to learn how to clean raw shrimp like an expert? Lots? Not really. Just a few basic things that need to be kept in mind.
As many experts know, you may just have to remember three steps to learn how to clean raw shrimp.
Break Off the Heads
The first step to do while cleaning raw shrimp is to break off their heads. This makes it easier to prepare and eat them afterwards. This is the reason why many cooks prefer breaking off the heads of the shrimp while they clean it. To break off the heads, just use your thumb and your index finger, and pinch off the heads and discard. It is that easy!
If you do not want to get all messy, you can easily break off the heads by chopping them with a knife.
Remove the Shell
The next step after breaking off the shrimp’s head would be to remove the shell. Using a knife, preferably, a steak knife with a sharp edge, slowly cut through the shell at the back of the shrimp. Cut from the upper part towards the tail. The cut should be at least half an inch deep.
Now, place the shrimp under running water. Use the tip of the knife to devein the shrimp. There are times when you need to give a little tug in order to remove the vein.
Remove and discard the shell of the shrimp by taking hold of the legs. You will notice that the shell actually comes off quite easily.
Wash Thoroughly
Rinse your shrimp thoroughly and then, they are ready to be cooked! It is really as simple as that!
Some More Tips
There are some more tips that you need to bear in mind while cleaning raw shrimp.
Be careful while handling sharp knives. Sure, you may think that using a sharp knife and cleaning a shrimp is really simple. But, always be careful because even experts sometimes have accidents while using sharp knives to clean shrimp.
Another thing to remember is not to leave your raw shrimp out for a prolonged period of time. They may get spoilt and may not remain fit for cooking and eating. To help prevent this from happening, be sure that you have a container filled with ice or ice water while you clean your shrimp. You can place the shrimp in this, after cleaning and deveining them so that they do not go bad while you continue cleaning all the shrimp for cooking.
Keeping the above mentioned steps and tips in mind can help you learn more about how to clean raw shrimps and prolong their freshness as you get ready to cook them.
