Deveining Shell-On Shrimp

Is deveining shrimp really necessary? And how do you do it?

You don’t have to remove the “vein” that runs down the back of shrimp; it’s flavorless and harmless. But lots of eaters can’t get past the yuck factor, as in, “It’s the shrimp’s intestinal tract—yuck!” For that reason, shrimp are typically deveined. We use a paring knife for shelled shrimp, but when preparing shell-on shrimp, we found the knife couldn’t muscle through the shell. We reached for a pair of small scissors, which cut through the shell to expose the underlying vein. The tip of the scissors freed the vein.