How to peel and devein a prawn
If you love prawns, then you need to know how to peel and devein them quickly and easily.
To peel, simply hold the body in one hand, and grasp the head in the other, then just twist-and-pull.
There's a digestive tract that runs along the back that can taste a bit gritty, so it's good to get it out before you start cooking. Just straighten the prawn, pick up the tract at the neck with a bamboo skewer, and pull it straight out.
Then use your thumb and forefinger to grasp as many of the legs as you can, and peel the shell under and away from you. Repeat for any shell left at the tail end.
Use the same technique for cooked prawns – twist and pull off the head, grasp the legs, under and over and off.
Either leave the tail on – it makes a great handle – or use your finger and thumb to pinch and pull it off.
If you want to cook your prawns in the shell, devein them through the back of the shell with the bamboo skewer, hook out the digestive tract and discard.
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Jill Dupleix is a Good Food contributor and reviewer who writes the Know-How column.