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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

Published: Jun 19, 2021 · Modified: Sep 9, 2024 by Brooke Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Have you ever wanted to buy fresh shrimp, but didn't because you thought it would be tricky to clean them?  Put your fears at ease because it's really simple to learn how to peel and devein shrimp.  Keep reading to find out how it's done.

Enjoy your fresh shrimp in our shrimp and grits and gumbo recipes.

bowl of deveined shrimp.
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Peel & Devein Shrimp
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipes that Use Shrimp
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Ingredients

bag of fresh shrimp on ice.

Since we live in Brunswick, Georgia, we have the privilege of buying locally caught fresh sweet Georgia white shrimp.  We always purchase our Georgia shrimp from an excellent local seafood wholesaler, Anchored Shrimp Company. They ship around the country, so even if you don't live in Georgia, you can still get the amazing shrimp from our area.  (This isn't a sponsored post; I just love their product.)

  • Fresh shrimp: We live where shrimp boats abound, so getting it fresh with the shells on is easy.
  • Ice: Cubes of ice are best since they melt slower. You'll want to keep it on ice when you are working to keep it cold.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Peel & Devein Shrimp

Gather your ingredients: fresh shrimp and ice.

fresh shrimp on ice, then pulling off the legs.
  1. Keep the shrimp on ice as you're working to keep them cold. (image 1)
  2. Start by pulling off the legs. (You don't have to pull off the legs if you don't want to; they usually come off when the shell is peeled off.) (image 2)
removing the shell and tail from the shrimp.
  1. Slide your thumb under the shell, then remove it. (image 3)
  2. To remove the tail, pinch the shell in the middle and gently pull it off. (image 4)
deveining the shrimp with a knife.
  1. Run the blade along the dark vein, then scrape out the vein with the knife blade. Repeat this process with the remaining shrimp; it will go quicker when you've done a few. (image 5)
  2. A deveined shrimp should look like this. (image 6)
colander filled with shrimp shells and a pan filled with deveined on shrimp on ice.
  1. Rinse, drain and freeze the shells in a bag to use in seafood stock for gumbo, clam chowder, or crab soup. (image 7)
  2. Once the shrimp are all deveined, rinse under cold running water and place on ice until ready to use. The process of peeling and deveining is quick, simple, and painless. You'll enjoy eating your fresh shrimp so much more after using this simple technique! (image 8)

Recipe FAQs

Is the vein in shrimp poop?

Shrimp have their alimentary canal on their back, which is on the top of this bottom dweller. This canal or digestive track removes the body wastes and sand.

Should I peel and devein shrimp before cooking?

If you are using small or medium size, you don't really need to devein, except for cosmetic purposes. If you are using large or jumbo shrimp, you can taste the grit if you skip this step. Plus, it also looks much better with the vein removed.

Do I need to devein both sides?

Most people don't, as the other nerve on the belly isn't that noticeable and doesn't taste gritty. If this bothers you, or if presentation is extremely important for your recipe, you can remove it using the same procedure.

How do you peel them?

First, rinse the shrimp in cold water, then pull off the legs. Slide your finger under the shell and pull it off, then pinch off the tails, if desired.

Can I use the shells?

Yes, you can use them to make seafood stock.  Just rinse, drain, and freeze for up to 3 months, or use right away.

How do you butterfly shrimp?

Use a sharp paring knife to make a deeper slit along the back of the shrimp. This will make it easy to remove the vein, and will also make for a prettier presentation.

Serve

Now that you have peeled and deveined the shrimp, you'll want to use them in a good recipe. Try them cold in a salad or in shrimp ceviche, or bread and fry them for a tasty appetizer. Shrimp scampi, gumbo, jambalaya, and shrimp and grits are more great recipes to use shrimp.

If you love seafood, make sure to try our recipe for salmon croquettes.

tray of deveined shrimp on ice.

Expert Tips

  • Keep shrimp on ice when peeling and deveining.
  • Use a sharp paring knife and make a shallow cut along the vein.
  • On large or jumbo sized shrimp, you can also use sharp kitchen shears to remove the shell.  Make a small cut at one end and remove the shell.  This keeps your hands a bit cleaner.
  • You can also use a toothpick to remove the vein.  Insert the toothpick closer to the tail section to make a small slit and pull out the vein.
  • To make the shrimp extra clean after peeling and deveining, place it in a bowl, sprinkle on potato starch, rub it in, then rinse it off.

Recipes that Use Shrimp

  • person holding a shrimp on a fork
    Southern Shrimp and Grits Recipe
  • large white bowl of jambalaya with a wooden spoon
    Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
  • person holding a spoonful of seafood gumbo
    New Orleans Gumbo
  • person holding a bottle of seafood stock
    Seafood Stock Recipe

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Recipe

bowl of deveined shrimp.

How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

How to peel and devein shrimp is an easy kitchen skill to master.  Enjoy using freshly cleaned shrimp for all your favorite shrimp recipes.  Impress your dinner guests with fresh shrimp that looks and tastes amazing.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Seafood
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 33 large shrimp
Calories: 12kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound fresh shrimp, roughly 33 large shrimp
  • Ice, for keeping the shrimp cold
Keep your screen on while you work!

Instructions

Peeling

  • Using your fingers, pull off the legs.
  • Slide your thumb under the edge of the shell on the head end of the shrimp, then peel off the shell.
  • If you want to remove the tail for ease of eating, pinch the tail where it's attached to the shrimp and pull it off.  Skip this step if you want to keep the tails on for presentation.
  • Rinse and drain the shells, seal in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.  Use them for homemade seafood stock, which will make gumbo or jambalaya taste amazing.

Cleaning & Deveining

  • Look for the vein running along the back (top) of the shrimp.  It can appear gray, brown, or even yellowish.  Run the tip of a sharp pairing knife along the vein.
  • Use the tip of the knife to pull the string-like vein out, then scrape out any remaining particles with the knife blade.  Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the remaining shrimp, keeping the cleaned shrimp in a pan of ice or in ice water until you're ready to use them.
  • Rinse the peeled and deveined shrimp under cold running water.
  • Keep the cleaned shrimp on ice and/or refrigerate until ready to cook.

Notes

  • Keep shrimp on ice or in ice water when peeling and deveining.
  • Use a sharp paring knife and make a shallow cut along the vein.  Work on a cutting board to keep your counter clean, and use paper towels for cleanup.
  • Want to keep your hands a bit cleaner?  Use kitchen shears to remove the shell.
  • Insert the wooden toothpick closer to the tail section to make a small slit and pull out the vein.
  • Sprinkle on potato starch, rub it in then rinse it off to make shrimp extra clean after peeling and deveining.

Nutrition

Calories: 12kcal (1%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 1g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 22mg (7%)Sodium: 16mg (1%)Potassium: 36mg (1%)Calcium: 9mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jacquelyn Tedder

    January 23, 2022 at 9:05 am

    Thank You so much for the step by step,it made cleaning & devaining the shrimp so much easier.

    Reply
    • Emma

      January 24, 2022 at 6:25 am

      You're very welcome, Jacquelyn!

      Reply
  2. Beth

    October 12, 2019 at 3:47 pm

    5 stars
    This post looks pretty informative. I love shrimp, so it is good to know how to do this. 🍤

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 12, 2019 at 3:47 pm

      Thank you, Beth! Maybe you'll be able to try your hand at deveining shrimp sometime!

      Reply

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