Buzz
Many things we think we need are actually just strong desires. I don’t *need* Maldon salt, but it’s a game changer for my scrambled eggs with its satisfying crunch. I don’t *need* to strip every garlic clove of its germ, but it does cut down on bitterness. I don’t *need* an inflatable hot tub, but I went ahead and bought one anyway. So, do I *need* to devein every shrimp I cook and eat? I *feel* like I do, but technically, I don’t.
What exactly is that vein?
The 'vein' running down a shrimp's back isn’t part of its circulatory system. (Shrimp have an open circulatory system—meaning their blood doesn’t flow through veins like ours.) That little tube is actually its digestive tract, and the dark spots you notice are waste. While consuming it raw could make you sick due to bacteria in the waste, cooking it makes the shrimp perfectly safe to eat, vein and all.
If you've ever ordered 'peel ‘n’ eat' shrimp, you’ve likely ingested a bit of shrimp waste without even realizing it. The vein isn’t always visible from the outside and, unless the shrimp is exceptionally large and its digestive tract is packed with grit, it’s usually hard to notice.
So why bother removing it?
The ick factor is undeniable. While shrimp waste might be one of the milder forms of animal waste, it’s still waste, and I can’t, in good conscience, encourage anyone to eat waste. (It’s just not in my nature!)
On top of that, the waste can leave a gritty feeling between your teeth. This is more of a concern with larger shrimp, but fortunately, big shrimp are relatively easy to devein. (Whether you want to take the time to devein smaller shrimp is entirely up to you.)
The simplest solution is to buy deveined shrimp. It may cost a little extra (since you’re paying for someone else to do the work), and it can be tricky to find deveined shrimp with the shell still on. (The shells add flavor and can help keep the shrimp from overcooking.)
If you’re up for trying to devein shrimp yourself or ended up with a bag of shrimp still sporting their veins, you can tackle it in two ways: either before cooking or after cooking.
How to devein raw shrimp
Removing the digestive tract from a raw shrimp is relatively simple, though it does take some patience. Begin at the head, making an incision through the shell along the back, all the way to the base of the tail, using either a sharp paring knife or scissors. Once the shell is open, gently separate it and use the tip of your knife or a toothpick to extract the tract. Pull it out and repeat for the remaining shrimp.
How to devein cooked shrimp
Deveining cooked shrimp follows a similar process as raw shrimp. First, cook and chill your shrimp, then make the same incision down the back, open it up, and remove the vein.
The smaller the shrimp, the more difficult this becomes, but how much effort you choose to put into your quest for grit-free, waste-free shrimp is entirely up to you. (Personally, I prefer not to put in any effort, so I’ll keep buying frozen deveined shrimp. Frozen is fresher anyway.)
