Do Restaurants Devein Shrimp: You Really Want To Know This
If you have ever eaten shrimp, then the chances are you have seen a black vein on the shrimp and the important question here is do restaurants Devin shrimp? We’ll get to that shortly don’t worry!
In this article, I will also teach you about some additional aspects of shrimp and deveining the because many people simply won’t eat shrimp if it isn’t deveined which could lead to costly food waste due to the reason that seafood is so expensive. Therefore it is important to know whether restaurants devein shrimp or not?
In general, most restaurants devein shrimp or buy already deveined ones. However, in a batch of deveined shrimp there usually are some that aren’t deveined because of a mistake or simple laziness. Also, some restaurants don’t devein the smallest shrimps which should always be done regardless of the size.
The point is that if you must have deveined shrimp in 100% certainty, then I wouldn’t order shrimp anywhere but really high-end restaurants, especially Asian-based restaurants where you can find non-deveined shrimps more often, but more on that later. Next, let’s see why restaurants should always devein shrimp and the reasons why some just don’t.
Contents
Why should restaurants devein shrimp?
As you have probably understood by now that restaurants should always devein shrimp but I haven’t yet revealed why this is that? Well, now it’s time to understand the importance of deveining shrimps.
Looks
Restaurants should always devein shrimp because it isn’t exactly a beautiful sight to notice non-deveined shrimps on your plate, especially if the shrimps are large. In fact, many people send the dishes back because the shrimps aren’t properly deveined as they should.
Quality
If you order a plate of shrimps in a restaurant and notice that the chefs haven’t deveined them or they have bought non-deveined shrimps and cooked them from there, it really, really decreases the restaurant’s branding and reputation in the customer’s eyes.
On the other hand, if the shrimp dish is deveined and of high quality, it can really have a boost the restaurant’s reputation because after all shrimps are usually one of the most expensive dishes in the restaurant due to the reason seafood is expensive cost and the time it takes to devein and prepare them.
Because it’s gross
Last but not least, eating shrimps that haven’t been deveined is simply gross. If you already didn’t know, the vein that is removed in the deveining process is the shrimp’s intestinal tract and when it is clearly visible and black, it is full of shrimp’s poop. Therefore no restaurant that wants to have a quality reputation shouldn’t leave shrimps un-deveined.
Why don’t some restaurants devein shrimp?
Now there are some understandable reasons why restaurants wouldn’t devein shrimps, however, this doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be done and that it is acceptable by any means. Let’s take a look at what the restaurants are thinking when they decide to serve shrimp that haven’t been deveined.
Time-consuming
If the restaurant buys non-deveined shrimp then they should devein them. However, deveining hundreds of shrimps is extremely time-consuming which will take time off other tasks, therefore some restaurants just don’t devein them especially if they only serve small shrimps where the intestinal tract isn’t as visible as in large shrimps
Price reasons
Another reason for not deveining shrimp is cost. Restaurants will save money when buying non-deveined shrimp instead of deveined ones. However, in quality restaurants, you either choose to spend more money so you can buy deveined ones, or invest the time to devein them yourself.
Buying ships that still have the intestinal tract on them and not investing the time to remove them is certainly cost-efficient and it will save time as well, however, the result is far worse than doing either of these things because it will greatly decrease the restaurants brand reputation.
Do you have to devein shrimp?
The idea of a shrimp in your mouth that haven’t been deveined isn’t necessarily a pleasant one, which makes you wonder, do you have to devein shrimp?
Deveining shrimp isn’t necessarily as it isn’t required by any law, regulation, or health department. Eating shrimp that haven’t been deveined but are cooked properly is safe to eat bacteria will die in such high temperatures. Therefore, you don’t have to devein shrimp.
Deveining a shrimp is purely done because of looks, taste, and quality reasons and it doesn’t present any health risks. Although, eating a shrimp with its intestinal tract isn’t pleasant.
How to devein shrimp
The easiest way to devein a shrimp is by making a thin slit by the full length of the shrimp’s back which will reveal the black vein and you can remove it from there. By doing this the shrimp will look and taste better, in addition, if you are making a marinara or a sauce the shrimp will absorb the taste way better!
Check out the video below on how to peel and devein a shrimp properly!
Do Chinese restaurants devein shrimp?
Many Asian restaurants use farmed shrimp which will enable them to control the shrimp’s intestinal tract better by not feeding them a couple of days before harvesting them. This way the shrimp farms can be more certain that the shrimp’s intestinal tracts don’t contain grit anymore.
However doing this on a large scale like this, there will be mistakes and shrimp’s where the intestinal tracts haven’t had cleansing and they will be full of grit. Therefore many Asian restaurants don’t devein them and there are occasional cases when the shrimps aren’t properly clean from the inside.
Does frozen shrimp come deveined?
Whether frozen shrimp comes deveined or not will be solely the decision of the manufacturer and if you are concerned about which one it is, the packaging will clearly say ”deveined” if they are. The problem here is that you really can’t devein frozen shrimp and it is extremely hard to do after cooking.
Cooking shrimp that is frozen will result in a more delicious texture and taste so you could defrost the shrimps and then devein them, however, the shrimp quality wouldn’t be as good if you were to cook them straight from frozen form.
What is the black line in shrimp?
The black line in a shrimp is its intestinal tract. If the line is black and clearly visible it means that the intestinal tract is full of shrimp excrement.
Conclusion
Deveining shrimp is important for a restaurant in order to maintain high-quality standards and provide excellent customer service. Most people don’t enjoy eating shrimp grit so you really shouldn’t provide that to the customers. This article was all about deveining shrimp and I really hope that you got value and new knowledge from this article.
Here You’ll Find My Favorite Kitchen Equipment.
Thanks for reading this article! I hope that it brought you real value that you can benefit from in your personal life! Here is my top kitchen equipment that I seriously couldn’t live without, and I think they could ease your life as well as they do mine.
- Knife set: As a chef, I can’t stand dull, poor-quality knives without any design. My absolute favorite kitchen knife set is the Gangshan 3-Piece Knife Set. It comes with a handcrafted 8″ chef’s knife and a 3.5″ paring knife. What I love even more than these flawless knives is the walnut knife block which is incredible and unique.
- Skillet: In addition to knives and my unwillingness to bargain with its quality is the cookware. My favorite skillet is Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Skillet. This particular skillet is 9″ in size, it is heavy, it gets very hot, which is what is required to get a good sear, and it is just beautiful, as are all Le Creuset products. Le Creuset doesn’t need an introduction as a brand, as it is one of the world’s rated brands.
- Food processor: I remember when I hadn’t a food processor at home. It wasn’t easy! But now, when I use my Ninja BN601 Food Processor, I can make anything super fast, which saves me many hours per week. This food processor has 1000 watts of power and four options, including chopping, slicing, dough, and purees. I also like the middle-sized 9cup (2.1l) bowl as it is big enough yet not too big to look unfitting in my kitchen.
- Tweezers: Dalstrong Professional Cooking Tweezers are like tongs but much more elegant, thin, and easy to use. They are great for virtually anything, but flipping, turning, and grabbing with them is easy and makes cooking much more fun! These Dalstrgon tongs are titanium coated and very durable. Also, I like the black color instead of the everyday steel.