What did I do wrong?

[Half Baked]

I bought some shrimp, cooked it the way I normally do but I can hardly peel them. The shells are paper thin and I almost have to pick it off....like the oddball hardboiled egg that goes awry.

Hmmm....hope I am not the common denominator in this equation.

Also, the veins of these shrimp were awful. Why don't they withold food before processing so they are cleaned out?

This was not a stellar day in my kitchen.

[dnelson]

Half Baked,

Occasionally you may find shrimp that have paper-thin shells. These are simply shrimp that molted shortly before being harvested; they should be the same quality as others with more solid shells. All shrimp are in a continuous cycle of molting as they grow, exchanging their snug, smaller shell for a new thin shell that hardens until the next molt.

Do you know what kind of shrimp they were or where they came from?

[dnelson]

Clive makes a good point (he usually does!) Why don't you peel and devein your shrimp prior to cooking. It takes the same amount of time and the finished product is usually nicer.

Or are you just cooking them off for the cooked meat as an ingredient like in a shrimp salad?

[DaCook]

Just take a skwere and poke it thru the back, between one of the sections, then lift up, it should come right out.

[mark1]

My wife and I have been using a shrimp de-veiner gadget for ages I think is probably sold at most kitchen supply stores. It's easy & quick to use and worth the effort from our POV as neither one of us like the taste of the vein. Correct me if wrong, but don't all restaurants de-vein shrimp before serving?

[Half Baked]

Do you know what kind of shrimp they were or where they came from?

Yes, they were raw shrimp from Kroger......

Seriously, I never knew shrimp molted...do lobsters molt, too? I did know about soft-shelled crabs...aren't some clams soft? You whetted my curiosity. I wish I could afford to be a 'professional' student. One thing I love about this site is that it's like sitting in a classroom and being able to ask the professor anything at any given time.

[Half Baked]

I loved my shrimp de-veiner gadget but when I lived in Annapolis, family from out of town always swiped it. Now I know why........haven't been able to find one here in GA.

Thank you all, very much.

[parsnip]

No all restaurants de-vain their shrimp, which is one of the reasons I don't order shrimp in restaurants (and the fact that most of the time they are over cooked). I hate bitting into a shrimp with the vain, UHG.

[dnelson]

Here is one for $5.50

[Half Baked]

That's the one I had Dave...I am going to the Cooks Warehouse tonight and will see if they carry them. Never been there before and I'm really excited to see what they have.

I want my shrimp cooked only until it's pink. I agree about eating it overcooked. if you aren't in a seafood town, don't order seafood....it's usually well-done.

*disclaimer*
I'm sure there are many many exceptions but that has been my experience.

[CrazyHermit]

Seriously, I never knew shrimp molted...do lobsters molt, too?

Jan, all arthropods (means "joint-foot" molt as a part of their life cycle. The shell is their skeleton, the frame that their bodies are held together by.. they just wear their "bones" on the outside (exoskeleton) instead of the inside (endoskeleton)

[aksli]

I also believe that fresh water shrimp have a softer shell then the deepsea breeds, and also warm waters make a softer shells then freezing cold waters.
so the cold sea water shrimps will have the hardest shells.

I personally don't mind too much about the vein if they are small but with the larger prawns such as gambas, the veins are so big that if you dont take them out they definately could taint the flavour of the meat. it does show you care about the clients if you de-vein them though

[attie]

Correct Dave, they usually molt around full moon. If the shrimp are fresh-fresh soaking in fresh tap water may make them re-gurgitate some of the grit. I peel them raw by squeezing the top of the head and pulling upwards thus leaving behind the legs. Pull the legs down and away leaving the meat in the head and the stomach behind. With a bit of practise you can pull the back passage out with the stomach. Notice some shrimp have a heavier vein line than the others, they are the females and that line is the eggs which turn pink when cooked, quiet edible, appearance is the only thing.

[attie]

Droping them in a salty ice water slurry as you take them out of the cooker Half Baked will loosen the shells