Ask the Readers: What the Shell?

Posted by Jackson on May. 26, 2009

The family and I spent the holiday weekend in Boston where the missus PRed a half-marathon and I set new personal records in consumption: Legal Seafoods, The Barking Crab, Kingfish Hall. I can’t say I’m ever truly tired of seafood but it will be nice to go a couple of meals without having to rip the carapace off something.

One of the dinner specials at Todd English’s Kingfish was a pound of shrimp boiled with Old Bay, red potatoes, a half cob of corn, and a ham steak. The shrimp were served with everything except the heads so I sat there and methodically cleaned them, which brought me to this dilemma of decorum: is it gross to de-vein your shrimp at the table? The legs and tails have to go, obviously, but should you then just pop them in, predigested zooplankton and all?

Tagged: , , , ,

  • "The legs and tails have to go, obviously..."

    Au contraire! I eat both.
  • Really? I've made stock out of the odd bits but never eaten them (intentionally). I know some folks like the heads. You eat the shells too?

    And for the record, I ate half my meal de-veined, the other half not. I always de-vein when I serve to others but personally I doubt there's much inside there that can survive the shrimp, then the cooking, and then my gut.
  • Shells, too. Makes it, um, crispy on the outside. Or crunchy, at least.

    I never get to the de-veining if they're prepped how I prefer because the vein's under the shell. I figure whatever's in the vein can't be any worse than, say, what's in a clam's belly. Or tomalley.
  • Jessica
    I totally agree with you, which is why I avoid at all costs the Baltimore-style Old Bay shrimp boil. Eating uncleaned shrimp is gross.

    In terms of stock, shrimp shells make an amazing stock. When I shell (and clean) the shrimp I serve I save the shells and freeze them so that I can make stock out of them later.
  • i found it in the yard when i came back from the grocery store i wouldve let it stay outside but coyotes or wolves something are in the backyard and im calling the vet to get it treated for anything it might have
  • If the shells are thin, I'll gladly eat them; if not, not. Rock shrimp shells, for instance, would require a trip to the emergency room for oral surgery.

    Other than aesthetics, the vein isn't a worry, either.

    Particularly if the shrimp is deep fried, the shell is a nice crunchy addition!
  • Dave G.
    Eat the shells! Crunchy in, crunchy out, if you know what I mean.

    But if you're making a shrimp dish at home, I say peel before cooking, freeze, repeat often, and when your collection is big enough make a nice stock out of the shells and use it as a base for a chowder, bouillabaisse, pho, etc.
  • I have lived in Maryland since I was two, and have been ripping apart crab carcasses for as long as I can remember. It is a truly rewarding experience to massacre your dinner while at the table.

    When I get steamed shrimp, just like crabs, I expect them to have the shells on because they add flavor. Peeling them at the table is just what we Marylanders do.

    However, I recently went to Hemingways, just over the Bay Bridge and not only did I have the worst service of my life, hands down, they also served shrimp po' boys (shrimp sandwiches) with the TAILS ON!!! You should NEVER have to pick the ingredients off your sandwich and do any prep yourself, EVER. Not to mention there were only 4 25-30 count shrimp on each sandwich, they wouldn't even cover one side of the roll themselves!

    All that said, if the shrimp are on the large size I say de-vein them.
blog comments powered by Disqus