How Exactly Do You Devein Shrimp?

Not deveining is a major shrimp cooking mistake — we'd argue that it could be the biggest one you might make. That doesn't mean you need to spend premium dinero on pre-prepped shrimp, however. Save some of your seafood dollars by learning how to devein shrimp yourself. The process is simpler, faster, and less icky than you probably think, we promise.

To prove it, we spoke with chef Yara Herrera of Hellbender NYC. Herrera serves up many a spicy shrimp taco at Hellbender, and definitely knows her way around a knife. "I think most cooks will be turned off by the vein in a shrimp," she opines, wisely advising that you shouldn't even consider leaving the vein in. Herrera makes a point, namely because the vein in shrimp — sometimes called the "sand vein" or "alimentary canal" — isn't a blood vessel at all. Instead, it's part of the shrimp digestive system. Bluntly put, it's full of shrimp poop. It won't hurt you to eat it, but it's not a pleasant prospect, either. 

When left intact, the vein can impart an unpleasant grittiness and murky taste to your shrimp dishes. You simply can't have that! Even if you are choosing to grill shrimp in its shell, you simply need to remove the vein before cooking. Luckily, it only takes a sharp edge and a bit of finesse. So, grab your favorite paring knife, and let's learn some technique.

You don't need an expensive knife like Ina Garten's favorite Wüstof blades to devein shrimp — even a cheapie knife will work as long as it has a sharp edge. Choose whether or not to remove the shrimp's head (leaving the head on will impart flavor, while taking it off will promote a crispier texture), and then, as Herrera instructs, "slice lengthwise following the vein" to open up the back of the shrimp in one smooth, even cut. Once you have access to the vein, she says, "[y]ou can remove with tweezers or the knife, or rinse under running water" to get the pesky vein out. Just like that, you have a fully-prepared shrimp that's ready to fry, grill, or throw in a seafood boil. Even better, you haven't paid a penny extra for anyone else to do the work for you.

Of course, the trickiest part is slicing open the shrimp without messily dissecting the protein. Practice and good knife-handling will be your tickets to success here. Brushing up on your knife skills will give you not only the stability, but also the confidence to execute fine jobs like deveining with precision and control. Don't get discouraged! If you do mangle your shrimp the first few times you devein, know that you can utilize minced shrimp in many Asian dishes or in scrumptious shrimp cakes.