Prawns are one of the most popular species on our restaurant menus as well as on our fishmonger counter in Padstow. They're versatile and easy to cook, once you know how. To help you master the skill, Head Chef Lecturer at our Cookery School in Padstow, Nick Evans, has put together a guide on how to peel and de-vein prawns at home.
Three simple steps, using tiger prawns from our online fishmonger, to prepare them for curries, salads, stir-frying and more.
1) First up, remove the heads by gently squeezing and twisting them off.
2) To peel prawns, you've got two options - either squeeze the legs at the head end and peel around the body to remove the shell. Or use Nick's preferred method - sit the prawn in one hand and peel down the back of the shell towards the tail with your fingernail. Some choose to the leave the tail section of the shell on for appearance, however this can gently be removed by pinching the end of tail and easily slipping it off to reveal the tail fan.
3) To de-vein the prawn, using a sharp knife, lightly cut along the back of the prawn (not too deep). This cut will reveal the intestinal tract (a black line) - which although not harmful to eat is best removed before cooking. Use the end of your knife to lift it out and discard.
Follow Nick's top tips to easily prepare tiger prawns at home.
