Funny question from a newbie shrimp eater

[Jerusalem Gal]

Hi everyone,

This is a strange question to post here but bear with me. Ahem

So I'm pretty new to the whole shrimp scene.
A couple of years ago I tried it for the first time at Tokyo Dining (on nigiri) and then once on a burger at the ABC Commissary. The only way I've had it since is in sushi.
(It's a kosher issue. I'm still getting the hang of pork and seafood.)

This time around (5 weeks! yay!!!) I made some ADRs and am not scared of shrimp anymore.
My question is.... how do you eat them???
I saw some menus that stated the shrimp was 'peel and eat'. What does that mean?
And what if it's in a pasta dish or something? Do you just eat it whole? Is there anything you gotta take apart or cut off before you eat it?
Anything else I need to know?

Thank you

 

[kaybird]

Most shrimp in Pasta dishes is already peeled, although some may still have the tail on, which just pulls off. If it is peel and eat, you just slide your thumb between the shrimp and the shell, and peel it off. Easy Peasy! Everyone does it differently, so don't worry.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Most shrimp in Pasta dishes is already peeled, although some may still have the tail on, which just pulls off. If it is peel and eat, you just slide your thumb between the shrimp and the shell, and peel it off. Easy Peasy! Everyone does it differently, so don't worry.

Ok, I lied. I'm still scared of shrimp.

Thank you so much for your answer (and for not laughing at me )
Is there any magic way to tell if a shrimp is peeled or not?
Is it just basically: if they've got eyes and legs, they're not peeled?

(This is the strangest thread ever.)

 

[wdw&sonny]

A little more info. When you eat shrimp, you are almost always served just the tail (the head has been removed). Much of the time, the tail has already had the shell removed and the vein removed and the tail fin removed. It is always eaten cooked, but can be chilled (sushi and shrimp cocktail). In pasta, it is usually overcooked and chewy. Sometimes, regardless of how it is prepared (sautéed, fried, grilled) the tail fin is still left on, as sort of a handle. I always remove any remnant tail fin or shell. Some people eat the shell too. For "peel and eat" the shrimp are cooked then chilled on ice. You can peel the shell off starting on the belly side and splitting it open and peeling it off toward the tail fin and back. BUT, these shrimp are rarely deveined. Some are split down the dorsal edge and rinsed to remove the black succus but many are not deveined so you eat that too or you have to split it and clean it. It's not hard to do, but is more work than I am willing to put in for the flavor of those shrimp. It's a DIY shrimp cocktail.

 

[AngiTN]

Yes, you can feel the shell on shrimp.
It is just about always served alone, not in a dish. Usually cold or cool.

They will have legs but no eyes

 

[bumbershoot]

I would stick with being scared of them, personally. Last time I ever ate them was the time before I watched my stepmom "de-vein" a bunch of them as a teen. (Hint, it's not a vein, it's their digestive tract) (kosher eating has a great point IMO in avoiding them)

 

[ajwolfe]

Shrimp are delicious!! I wouldn't let your fear of taking the tail off or possible the shell stop you. It's a simple process that even my kids have been able to master since they were 4 or 5. You will be fine.

 

[Vernie822]

So at Ohana you have to peel them yourself. It only drives me nuts because I hate getting my hands dirty especially when I'm eating a meal at a restaurant. De-tailing them does not really bother me as much because often times I will just cut the end off. If I order something with shrimp, I just always double check to see if I need to peel/de-tail them before I go tossing one into my mouth!

 

[LJSquishy]

You will be able to easily see the shell or tail on them if they are intact. In pasta dishes, you generally will not have shrimp with tails or any other part of the shell. If the shrimp dish is designed to eat with your fingers (like fried shrimp, for example) you'll usually find those with tails and to eat them just grab them by the tail and bite off just above the tail. Whole, shelled shrimp are easy to peel and eat.

 

[soniam]

Shrimp are not supposed to be crunchy. If it is, then it still has its shell

 

[disnut8]

Ok, I lied. I'm still scared of shrimp.

Thank you so much for your answer (and for not laughing at me )
Is there any magic way to tell if a shrimp is peeled or not?
Is it just basically: if they've got eyes and legs, they're not peeled?

(This is the strangest thread ever.)

If they've got eyes, you would have to behead them and I haven't seen them in a restaurant at Disney World that way and I love shrimp and go behead them but most restaurants don't want their patrons to do that so I wouldn't concern myself with that issue.

As others have said, if the shrimp cannot be bent, it has the shell on it but most dishes will say that on the menu, like "peel and eat". To do that, pick up the shrimp by the tail, hold it by the tail, then grab the legs (on one side and pull back. The shell might come off all at once but more than likely you'll have to pull back on the other side of the legs. Once that's done, you just eat the shrimp without ingesting the tail or just break off the tail.

My husband did his "show people how to do something" presentation for his master's course and his was "how to peel a shrimp". I was the hand model for it.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

A little more info. When you eat shrimp, you are almost always served just the tail (the head has been removed). Much of the time, the tail has already had the shell removed and the vein removed and the tail fin removed. It is always eaten cooked, but can be chilled (sushi and shrimp cocktail). In pasta, it is usually overcooked and chewy. Sometimes, regardless of how it is prepared (sautéed, fried, grilled) the tail fin is still left on, as sort of a handle. I always remove any remnant tail fin or shell. Some people eat the shell too. For "peel and eat" the shrimp are cooked then chilled on ice. You can peel the shell off starting on the belly side and splitting it open and peeling it off toward the tail fin and back. BUT, these shrimp are rarely deveined. Some are split down the dorsal edge and rinsed to remove the black succus but many are not deveined so you eat that too or you have to split it and clean it. It's not hard to do, but is more work than I am willing to put in for the flavor of those shrimp. It's a DIY shrimp cocktail.

Thanks so much for the detailed info! The deveining thing sounds yucky. Is this something everyone does for the peel and eat shrimp or do most people just eat it?

Yes, you can feel the shell on shrimp.
It is just about always served alone, not in a dish. Usually cold or cool.

They will have legs but no eyes

Thank you!

I would stick with being scared of them, personally. Last time I ever ate them was the time before I watched my stepmom "de-vein" a bunch of them as a teen. (Hint, it's not a vein, it's their digestive tract) (kosher eating has a great point IMO in avoiding them)

I've heard that a lot actually I'd like to think I'll try them but I might change my mind once I'm sitting in front of a plate-full of legs!

Shrimp are delicious!! I wouldn't let your fear of taking the tail off or possible the shell stop you. It's a simple process that even my kids have been able to master since they were 4 or 5. You will be fine.

Thanks!! Do you guys devein them?

So at Ohana you have to peel them yourself. It only drives me nuts because I hate getting my hands dirty especially when I'm eating a meal at a restaurant. De-tailing them does not really bother me as much because often times I will just cut the end off. If I order something with shrimp, I just always double check to see if I need to peel/de-tail them before I go tossing one into my mouth!

Thanks for that! I was just about to ask about Ohana since I have an ADR there

You will be able to easily see the shell or tail on them if they are intact. In pasta dishes, you generally will not have shrimp with tails or any other part of the shell. If the shrimp dish is designed to eat with your fingers (like fried shrimp, for example) you'll usually find those with tails and to eat them just grab them by the tail and bite off just above the tail. Whole, shelled shrimp are easy to peel and eat

Thank you!!

Shrimp are not supposed to be crunchy. If it is, then it still has its shell

Thanks for the tip!

If they've got eyes, you would have to behead them and I haven't seen them in a restaurant at Disney World that way and I love shrimp and go behead them but most restaurants don't want their patrons to do that so I wouldn't concern myself with that issue.

Lucky!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

If they've got eyes, you would have to behead them and I haven't seen them in a restaurant at Disney World that way and I love shrimp and go behead them but most restaurants don't want their patrons to do that so I wouldn't concern myself with that issue.

As others have said, if the shrimp cannot be bent, it has the shell on it but most dishes will say that on the menu, like "peel and eat". To do that, pick up the shrimp by the tail, hold it by the tail, then grab the legs (on one side and pull back. The shell might come off all at once but more than likely you'll have to pull back on the other side of the legs. Once that's done, you just eat the shrimp without ingesting the tail or just break off the tail.

My husband did his "show people how to do something" presentation for his master's course and his was "how to peel a shrimp". I was the hand model for it.

Thanks! And it's cool that you modeled for the presentation!

 

[disnut8]

The deveining thing sounds yucky. Is this something everyone does for the peel and eat shrimp or do most people just eat it?

Eating the vein is not a big deal. We make shrimp at home all the time for our own peel and eat stuff. I have never deveined a shrimp in my life.