It can be a bit intimidating to devein prawns if you don’t know the best methods or have the proper tools. Well, fear not! It’s relatively easy to devein shrimp and prawns right at home with simple tools you probably already have, and some good techniques.
Follow along with this guide to learn how to properly devein shrimp and prawns the next time you’re cooking one of your latest recipes for your next at-home seafood night!
A Visual Guide to Deveining Prawns
What are Prawns?
Prawns are freshwater or saltwater decapods with an external skeleton and ten legs. Although it is more common to find prawns in freshwater like rivers or lakes, they also exist in saltwater bodies near the floor by the coastline or in estuaries.
Different species of prawns exist worldwide, and some prefer colder climates, while most prefer warmer and calmer waters to lay eggs on rocks or plants. Depending on the prawn species, they vary in size but are almost always on the larger end.
Prawns vs Shrimp
Depending on where you live, the word ‘prawn’ may be used to describe shrimp, like for example in the UK. In fact, these two are decapods, but that’s nearly where the similarities end.
Different Sizes
Not only are prawns almost always larger than shrimp, but they have a different gill system for breathing. While shrimp have plate-like gills, prawns have branching gills for their respiratory system.
Different exoskeletons
Both shrimp and prawns have a thin exoskeleton or outer shell, but their body is slightly different. Prawns and shrimp have four distinct areas of their bodies; the head, the thorax, the abdomen, and the tail tip.
While the prawn’s sections create a shingle effect, as they overlap one another going from head to tail, the shrimp’s thorax sits resting on the head and the abdomen, creating a slightly different shape for the body.
Different Claws and Pincers
Finally, the claws and pincers of the shrimp and prawn are different. While the shrimp has only two large front claws, the prawn has three claws, the most prominent on their second set.
Nutritionally Similar
The nutritional profile of shrimp and prawns is almost identical, and the flavor is usually indistinguishable from the other in most recipes. Depending on the climate in which they are from and the species, prawns tend to be meatier and a little sweeter than shrimp, which have a more delicate flavour.
Black Veins
Both shrimp and prawn have a black vein that runs along the top of their body from their head end to their tail end. This vein is part of the digestive tract and is mainly full of body waste and sand.
On the underside of shrimp and prawn is another vein that is usually white and not typically removed. This is part of the circulatory system and fine to leave in the prawn, unless you prefer to remove it for your recipes.
Why Devein Your Own Prawns?
Home cooks may choose to devein their own prawns for several reasons.
Looks Better
Aesthetically, removing the “dark vein” that is actually part of the intestinal tract makes the cooked prawns look much more appealing when they are served. Whether cooking new recipes, or in a classic scampi or a stir fry, the appearance of your dish is important.
No Grittiness
It can be quite off-putting to bite into prawns and it feels as if you’re chewing sand. That’s the black vein in the mix!
Buy Shell-On or Shell-Off?
You can purchase prawns or deveined shrimp with the shell off from the store, but keep in mind that they will be more expensive as the work has already been done for you.
So, if your personal preference is to have that black line and shell removed, learning how to peel the shell and devein them yourself when cooking will save you money and is super easy to do!
Tools You Can Use to Devein Prawns
You don’t need a lot of tools to peel and devein shrimp or prawns at home, but depending on the method you want to use to devein uncooked prawns, different tools are necessary.
- Paring Knife – the paring knife is a small sharp knife used for peeling vegetables, fruits, or small precision cuts. The tip of the 3″ or 4″ pairing knife is also a great tool to devein shrimp and prawns.
- Skewers – a skewer is a great household tool that helps to scrape out the digestive tract of the prawn. A metal or wooden skewer works perfectly for this method.
- Tweezers– instead of a skewer, you can use a fish tweezer to remove the vein from the inside of the shell of the shrimp or prawn.
- Shrimp Deveiner/Cleaner tool – this handy tool is another way to devein and peel the shell in one swift motion.
How To Devein Prawns
If you’re not sure how to devein prawns it can be a bit intimidating. Fear not, follow this easy guide to help you devein your prawns.
Instructions
Using a Paring Knife
Use a paring knife to slice through the shell and along the back vein on your cutting board. Leaving the head end shell in tact, peel the meat with the shell back, exposing the vein. Pull the vein with your fingers or rinse under cold water, until all of the tract is completely out of the prawn.
Using a skewer
Using a skewer stab near the base of the tail of the prawn. Make sure to stab underneath the vein so that you can lift up and pull it out as you do so. This method may take a few shots to perfect, but once you do, it’s a simple way to remove the vein.
Using a tweezer
Use a tweezer to pull the vein out if you are worried about touching the vein. Simply cut a slit down the back of the prawn, like in the first method, and remove with a tweezer.
Shrimp deveiner
Insert the deveiner under the shell near the head or tail end, and push under and along the vein tract. In one swift motion, pull up, removing the shell and exposing the vein. Remove the vein with your fingers, tweezer, or by running under cold water.
What recipes can I make with shell on prawns?
There are several recipes that are even better when you don’t peel the prawn before cooking it.
For example, my pan fried butter garlic prawns are easy and delicious, with the shell left on for added protection during the cooking process.
Jerk prawns are one of my favorite simple summer time recipes with lots of a flavour and a bit of spice.
Is it safe to eat the vein and shell in the prawn?
Yes, it is completely safe to eat the vein and not peel the prawn in all recipes. However, depending on the size of the prawn and the vein you may choose to remove it for some recipes to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
