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Cooking Friends » General Discussion » Talk About Food! » Head-on Shrimp Question...

Head-on Shrimp Question...

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Barbara101
bethk
6 posters

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1Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 3:27 pm

bethk

bethk
Admin

Barb, you are the only person I know who might have an answer for me....

IF you have some good sized head-on shrimp, is there a way to devein them without dismanteling the whole thing?

I saw some fresh shrimp (well, to be honest, the ones I saw today were probably fresh about 4 days ago...passed on purchase today) with the heads on. I'd like to do one of those Louisianna BBQ Shrimp meals. But I know from experience that I much prefer if I remove the vein in the back. I just wasn't sure if it's possible to slit the back to remove the vein without the head & shell falling off when I cook them.

Thoughts?

2Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 3:32 pm

Barbara101

Barbara101

gosh? you would think that I would know lol. I always pop the heads off. My Mom,now she used to steam them whole. then just serve them cold ,peel them yourself.

I am not one to do heads on fish affraid

I also HAVE to clean them.

3Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 3:36 pm

Barbara101

Barbara101

4Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 3:37 pm

bethk

bethk
Admin

OK, so there goes my hope of Barb having an answer for me.... lol

Anyone else? I guess it's no big deal. I can wait until I find some really fresh looking head-on shrimp and try to devein 'em. When I do, I'll report back here.

Ohhhh, nice link, Barb, thank you!

I can't quite bring myself to suck the heads but I do know if they are cooked with the head & shell they have much better flavor. Maybe I'll just try to devein part of them and ignore the rest and see how that goes for me.



Last edited by bethk on Tue May 14, 2013 3:44 pm; edited 1 time in total

5Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 3:42 pm

Barbara101

Barbara101

one time I ordered trout almondine ,they served it head on..I sent it back lol.
another time a friend ate the heads of lobster. I almost hurled. pale pale

6Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 4:50 pm

Imelda HL

Imelda HL

bethk wrote:OK, so there goes my hope of Barb having an answer for me.... lol

Anyone else? I guess it's no big deal. I can wait until I find some really fresh looking head-on shrimp and try to devein 'em. When I do, I'll report back here.

Ohhhh, nice link, Barb, thank you!

I can't quite bring myself to suck the heads but I do know if they are cooked with the head & shell they have much better flavor. Maybe I'll just try to devein part of them and ignore the rest and see how that goes for me.

oh.. steamed shrimps with head-on are the best..especially the fresh ones... in my country it's the best way to eat shrimps, sometime we bought shrimps from the fishermen who just came back from sea.. suck the head until it dried.. yum yum Wink

7Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 4:56 pm

Imelda HL

Imelda HL

Barbara101 wrote:one time I ordered trout almondine ,they served it head on..I sent it back lol.
another time a friend ate the heads of lobster. I almost hurled. pale pale

we ate whole lobsters (including the heads) when we were in Boston.. man.. so good...

Barbara.. I hope you don't mind the pictures Wink



Head-on Shrimp Question... DSCN5275

Head-on Shrimp Question... 3

8Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 5:22 pm

bethk

bethk
Admin

OH, Imelda...your pics remind me of our vacations in Maine! I absolutely loved the lobsters, although I couldn't do the green stuff or heads....but the knuckles and little legs are probably my favorites.

**************

I wanted to bleach some rags and found I was out of bleach so I decided to run to the store...sounds like I'm REALLY busy if I can take a run 1 mile to the grocery store for one item, doesn't it??? lol

Well, as long as I was there I decided to walk past the seafood counter. TODAY the man got in fresh shrimps! So, I guess I'll have the jambalaya I thawed out tomorrow because tonight I'm having grilled shrimps, slathered in butter and dipped in cocktail sauce...

Here's what my washed shrimp look like....Just over 3/4 lb. ~ 10 big ones for $7.

Head-on Shrimp Question... HeadOnShrimp

I'm taking a chance here that there won't be a lot of vein...keep your fingers crossed for me! lol

9Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue May 14, 2013 7:12 pm

bethk

bethk
Admin

I skewered each shrimp with an oiled bamboo stick to keep them from curling as they cooked on the grill. I find oiling keeps them from sticking when the seafood is cooked.

Head-on Shrimp Question... 051413b

But I just couldn't eat them without cleaning them. Only 3 had a vein, but I couldn't convince myself to take the chance....I know, I'm a wimp! lol But they sure did have a lot of flavor.

Next time I'm going to steam or boil because the grilling made removing the shells much more difficult because all the moisture was cooked out. But, did I mention the flavor? So, SO good!

Head-on Shrimp Question... 051413c

10Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Wed May 15, 2013 3:28 pm

Crybaby

Crybaby

Most people down here don't bother to devein them except perhaps the nicer restaurants. You could definitely devein them without peeling -- just use a pair of very sharp scissors and start snipping the shell above the tail towards the head.

11Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Wed May 15, 2013 4:49 pm

bethk

bethk
Admin

Crybaby wrote:Most people down here don't bother to devein them except perhaps the nicer restaurants. You could definitely devein them without peeling -- just use a pair of very sharp scissors and start snipping the shell above the tail towards the head.

And the people down there suck the heads, also.... Can't do it with crawfish, can't do it with shrimp.... LOL

Sharp Scissors !! Now why didn't I think of that? I kept trying to think of how I could cut with a sharp knife. Thank you for that tip!

12Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Wed May 15, 2013 4:54 pm

Crybaby

Crybaby

And the people down there suck the heads, also.... Can't do it with crawfish, can't do it with shrimp.... LOL

Sharp Scissors !! Now why didn't I think of that? I kept trying to think of how I could cut with a sharp knife. Thank you for that tip!

I'm born and raised down here, Beth, and have never seen a single soul suck the head of a shrimp! Crawfish is another story (I do it, too). It sounds worse than it is -- it's just getting the flavorful boiling liquid out of the head. Be assured that liquid is all you get.

We usually buy head-on shrimp 'cause we're usually buying fresh ones and, of course, that's how they sell them. But even if I need to peel the shrimp for something I'm making, I always save the heads and the peel to make shrimp stock for the freezer.

13Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Wed May 15, 2013 5:21 pm

bethk

bethk
Admin

I can remember going to a conference in N.O. with Dane many, MANY years ago. Part of the company paid activities was a river boat cruise and buffet. I thought some of the northern ladies in attendance were going to get ill when they saw the chef dump the live crawfish into the gumbo...Hahahahaha. The food was amazing but somehow I had pictured the Mighty Mississippi river much differently. It was much muddier than I ever would have imagined.

That was the same trip I went to Commander's Palace for lunch and dinner at Arrnod's (sp?) where all the waiters spoke French. Thank goodness I recognized the written French word for chicken!

14Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Wed May 15, 2013 6:54 pm

NormM

NormM

I seem to recall reading Mark Twain saying you had to let a glass of Mississippi water set out overnight so the mud would settle out before you could drink it.

http://r2j1cp@gmail.com

15Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:22 pm

Crybaby

Crybaby

I can remember going to a conference in N.O. with Dane many, MANY years ago. Part of the company paid activities was a river boat cruise and buffet. I thought some of the northern ladies in attendance were going to get ill when they saw the chef dump the live crawfish into the gumbo...Hahahahaha. The food was amazing but somehow I had pictured the Mighty Mississippi river much differently. It was much muddier than I ever would have imagined.

That was the same trip I went to Commander's Palace for lunch and dinner at Arrnod's (sp?) where all the waiters spoke French. Thank goodness I recognized the written French word for chicken!

They don't call it the Muddy Mississippi for nothing!  And no one wrote about this area better than Mark Twain, Norm!!  Brian fell in love with this area as a child after reading Mark Twain!

16Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:23 pm

UNCLE JIMMY

UNCLE JIMMY

Tina would flip out if she had a shrimps with the head! My Brother was great for shrimp with the heads on.
He lived in Baltimore, MD ,and learned new ways to eat seafood.

Me! I would just run to get the gun! I won't eat what looks me in the eye! .... hahahahahahahaha

17Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:32 pm

bethk

bethk
Admin

When Dane was down at the villa we went to visit his sister and his nephew.  Our nephew told me he would go river shrimping for me....love the St. John's river shrimp.  They are the sweetest I've ever tasted.  He said he was pretty fast at sorting on the boat and would only keep the largest ones.  Now I can hardly wait to get back to the villa and wait for the river shrimp to start running.

18Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:45 pm

UNCLE JIMMY

UNCLE JIMMY

bethk wrote:When Dane was down at the villa we went to visit his sister and his nephew.  Our nephew told me he would go river shrimping for me....love the St. John's river shrimp.  They are the sweetest I've ever tasted.  He said he was pretty fast at sorting on the boat and would only keep the largest ones.  Now I can hardly wait to get back to the villa and wait for the river shrimp to start running.
Make sure you bring the coolers, and lots of Ice!... Ummmmm!!
I would definetely stock the freezer with that shrimp.

19Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:01 am

bethk

bethk
Admin

Yeah, when he goes river shrimping I'll go there and we will clean and freeze before I pack them in my cooler to take home.  

But I'm sure there will be a bunch cooked right off the bat.  Nothing better than just out of the water and steamed, then dumped on a picnic table.  Good stuff!

20Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:31 am

UNCLE JIMMY

UNCLE JIMMY

bethk wrote:Yeah, when he goes river shrimping I'll go there and we will clean and freeze before I pack them in my cooler to take home.  

But I'm sure there will be a bunch cooked right off the bat.  Nothing better than just out of the water and steamed, then dumped on a picnic table.  Good stuff!
A little trick Beth for transporting frozen anything that you will be on the road for over an hour in the summer.

Freeze the food (shrimp for instance ) and add the frozen shrimp or food into a leak proof zip lock bag...double bagged to be sure they are leakproof. Then pack cubed ice (not flaked) around and over the frozen shrimp.
Add a few scoops of coarse salt ( Could be like Kosher Salt ) over the ice like as if you were making ice cream.
The ice will melt and the brine solution and ice as it melts, will be at a temperature of around 5º to 10º F.
Super Cold. After an hour, check the ice, and add more and salt if needed.  The shrimp or food will remain frozen and not begin to thaw out.

We like Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, and The closest Baskin Robbins was in Morristown, NJ which is about a 50 minute drive for us. One Sunday, it was like 96ºF, and I said,"Let's go get Ice cream from Baskin Robbins, and bring it home.
Tina and my Brother said, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.... and Jim,"We will wind up with ice cream soup!"

I brought the cooler with ice in a bag. We had the ice cream ( 4 flavors ) packed in quart containers, and I brought the plastic zip locks. I packed the ice cream and covered it with the ice, and scooped the kosher salt over the ice.

We drove home (1 Hr ) and I placed the still frozen solid ice cream in the freezer for after supper that night.
No Melted Ice cream, and my brother was amazed that the ice cream stayed frozen.

21Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:00 am

bethk

bethk
Admin

Now that's a trick I'll remember, Jimmy!  Thanks.

22Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:06 am

Barbara101

Barbara101

don't know where my other post went.poof it was gone..

down here in shrimp land, we/I freeze in water in plastic containers. IF you can find waxed one s like milk or cream come in I save those.
I also save ice.lol. Most folks toss it down the sink, I bag it & toss it in the freezer. I tell ya it sure saved my frozen meats when the power went out.

I also use them in a cooler when I go to costco. they stay in the bag & do not melt on your stuff.

23Head-on Shrimp Question... Empty Re: Head-on Shrimp Question... Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:11 am

bethk

bethk
Admin

When I know I'm going to need extra ice or if I'll be taking a cooler someplace, I'll freeze water in plastic drink bottles - anything with a screw top.  There is still some condensation on the outside but most of the water is contained and the small bottles are easy to rearrange in the cooler.

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