Make Shrimp Peel Easier

by lisa vice
(thomasville al clarke)

Is there anything to add to shrimp while or after boiling to make them easier to peel?

Hi Lisa
Not that I know of, but I can tell you that white shelled shrimp are easier to peel than brown shelled shrimp. The reason being is that white shrimp have a thinner shell than brown shrimp.

Another thing that makes shrimp easier to peel, is when they are cooked just right.

Here's how I tell when my shrimp are perfectly cooked. (this will work for cooking headless shrimp only)

While the shrimp are cooking, reach in with a pair of tongs and grab you a shrimp. Look at the head part of the shrimp to see if the shell is breaking away from the shrimp.

What you will want to see is about a 1/32nd to 1/16th inch gap between meat and shell.

Once you have this gap it is very important to drain the shrimp and then place them in a ice water bath to stop the cooking.

Another option is to buy what they call easy peel shrimp. This where they have made a cut down the back to remove the sand vein. Once these are cooked just right, they are super easy to peel.

Thanks for visiting the cookingfishmonger.
Frank