Techniques
Shelling prawns
Eating etiquette. How to avoid feeling foolish on your romantic dinner date when presented with a dish of unshelled prawns - deep breaths, here's how to do it Baines-style.
This technique for shelling works on both raw and cooked prawns. If you're serving unshelled prawns or langoustines to guests, a finger-bowl with lemon juice won't go amiss.
It is recommended for larger langoustines: make an incision down the spine and simply pull out the dark vein, then rinse.
De-vein or not de-vein...
Chefs tend to disagree about whether to de-vein or not. It's generally not necessary on smaller prawns, but as it is the intestinal vein it's best to remove it if you can clearly see it.It is recommended for larger langoustines: make an incision down the spine and simply pull out the dark vein, then rinse.
