Peeling prawns.

**Rheghead** · 08-Mar-09, 20:07

What is the best technique for getting a nice peeled prawn? I've tried all sorts of ways but the best way for me is by peeling the individual legs and segments off the prawn but it just takes me ages. Pulling the head off and pulling them out just snaps it in half.

And as an aside, how do Youngs peel their prawns, can they do them by machine or do they pay cheap labour to do it?

**unicorn** · 08-Mar-09, 20:22

I remember mum just pulling the head off and snapping the body all the way down the side where the shell meets the softer bit, then remove the prawn.

**Creme_Egg** · 21-Apr-09, 23:21

if you have langoustines or dublin bay prawns then you jus snap the head and body off/blanch in salty water then straight into ice water to stop the cooking process then once they are cool take them out and squeeze the prawns at the sides until it snaps all of the way up gently ease out the flesh then take out the black line down the middle its the intestinal tract.

same idea with the tiger prawns or any other type of prawn just adjus the cooking time appropriatly

pm me to let me know how u do

**S&LHEN** · 22-Apr-09, 08:53

Break the shell right down the at the bag after taking its head off and then give a wee pull and if not over cooked it should pull out whole.

mmmm I love prawns

**tonkatojo** · 22-Apr-09, 09:28

the way I was taught is in the cooking, fresh/live prawns should be placed in pan of boiling water (preferably in a wire chip type basket)the pan will go off the boil,bring it back up to the boil and that's the prawns cooked,empty them out to cool and nip the head off and the tail body will come out(or should) easy. usually if they snap it means they have been over cooked.

**Buttercup** · 25-Apr-09, 23:31

Way back in the days of the "Crab Factory", we were taught just to do it like this: hold them on their side between finger and thumb, then twist up and down and the shell just pulls away. Some of us found it easier to gently squeeze the prawn to crack the "ribs" on the underside then push the sides apart but I always found that hard on the thumbs. Hope this helps.
By-the-way, they were always cooked before shelling.

**Amy-Winehouse** · 12-Jul-09, 17:32

I had a few trips tailing prawns while at sea , after 4 days tailing for about 18 hours a day it gets tedious & a bit sore on your thumbs but it was usually worth it & they did taste superb.