Description
Cleaning shrimp with this stainless-steel Shrimp Deveiner Tool is a snap. The “vein” is the shrimp’s digestive tract and is perfectly safe to eat. Some prefer to remove it because it can be gritty and/or for aesthetics.
Removing the vein is a matter of personal preference and taste, not hygiene. It’s not harmful to eat. If the vein is really pronounced—dark or thick—you may want to devein the shrimp for a tidier look. Larger shrimp can also have grittier veins, which can have an unappealing texture. In general people tend to prefer their shrimp deveined, i.e. with the digestive tract removed, because the tract can have a bitter taste and a sandy texture.
Usage:
Hold the peeled shrimp between your thumb and fingers head up and with its spine facing you. You should see the intestinal tract peeking out of the top of the head-end. With the tip of a sharp paring knife, gently slide the blade, tracing the whole outer curve of the shrimp through the back. Be sure to cut only deep enough to reach the tract itself (about ⅛”). If a knife is intimidating to you, consider laying the shrimp flat on a cutting board with your hand on top (like you were slicing a bagel), or try a pair of kitchen scissors with very short blades.
There are two “veins” in shrimp. One is a white vein which is on the underside of the shrimp. It is white because a shrimp has clear blood. There is no real food safety reason to remove the clear shrimp vein (I don’t) but you may do so if it bothers you. This Shrimp Deveiner Tool surely helps in this process.
To check if a shrimp is already deveined, you can inspect its back. A shrimp that is not deveined has a dark line running along the back from the head to the tail. Most deveined shrimp from the grocery store (whether it’s fresh or frozen) will have a butterfly cut along the back where they removed the intestine.
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