Do You Really Need Devein Shrimp?
Most needs are actually deep desires. I don’t need Maldon salt, but my scrambled eggs aren’t the same without crunchy flakes. I don’t need to remove all the germ from each garlic clove, but it can reduce the bitterness. I don’t need an inflatable hot tub, but I bought it anyway. Do I need to devinate every shrimp I cook and eat? I feel like yes, but technically no.
What is a vein anyway?
The “vein” that runs along the shrimp’s back is not part of its circulatory system. (Shrimp have an open circulatory system—their blood doesn’t flow through veins like you and I do.) That little tube is actually their digestive tract, and those little dark spots you see are, unfortunately, waste. If you were to eat it raw, the bacteria in that waste could make you a little sick. Cook it though, and shrimp can be eaten without veins or anything.
If you’ve ever ordered peel-and-eat shrimp, you’ve probably eaten some shrimp offal and may not have even noticed it. The vein is not always visible from the outside and, unless the shrimp is very large and its digestive tract is filled with sand, is usually not detected.
So why delete it?
The IR factor is quite high here. Even though shrimp waste is one of the least nasty forms of animal waste, it is still poop and I never encourage anyone to eat poop. (It’s just not in my nature!)
Apart from this and the general aesthetics, the waste can feel like sand between the teeth. This primarily concerns the big boys, but luckily the big and giant shrimp are fairly easy to spot. (Whether you want to spend your time developing small to medium sized shrimp is up to you.)
The easiest way to get around this whole situation is to buy shrimp cooked according to the recipe. It costs a little more (since you’re paying for the work someone else does) and it can be difficult to peel shrimp without a shell. (The shell adds flavor and also helps prevent overcooking of the shrimp.)
But if you want to try devining or accidentally bought a bag of veined shrimp, there are two ways to do it: before cooking or after cooking.
How to cook raw shrimp
Removing the digestive tract of raw shrimp is actually quite simple, albeit a bit tedious. Starting at the head end, cut through the shell down the back of the shrimp to the base of the tail with a sharp knife or scissors, then separate the shell and meat and pull out the cavity with the tip or blade or toothpick. Remove it and repeat with the rest of the shrimp.
How to cook boiled shrimp
The procedure for separating cooked shrimp is almost the same as the procedure for separating raw shrimp. Cook and refrigerate the crustaceans, then make the same incision on the back of the shrimp, cut it open and pull out the vein.
The smaller the shrimp, the more difficult it will be, but the amount of effort you want to put into finding shrimp without sand and waste is between you and your god. (Personally, I don’t want to make any effort and will continue to buy packages of frozen shrimp. Frozen fresh anyway.)