Head-On Shrimp

[TheNoodleIncident]

going to stop by my local asian market today (that place is like disney land for cooks!)....they usually have a great deal on jumbo, head on shrimp.....do i NEED to de-vein them or can i skip that? i know its poop, which im sure totally grosses alot of people out, but ill prob be the only one eating them and i dont care....assuming its just a "gross" factor, ill leave it

also, anyone got a good recipe? i plan on grilling them, maybe with some old bay....last time i was at the store, they had free samples of them (now THATS a sample - head sucking goodness) and there were delish....simply steamed, and i couldnt detect any specific seasoning or marinate....perhaps there was none?

btw, that place had tons of great samples....i left full...if anyone has an H&Y near them, check it out

 

[TheNoodleIncident]

my bad with the double post...can one of the admins take care of it? thanks

 

[DaveSoMD]

All taken care of.

Sorry I can't help with your shrimp question as easily. I've never worked with head-on shrimp.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I never consider it a "requirement" to devein shrimp except for presentation purposes. And with wonderful large head-on shrimp - which have been showing up frequently in the markets around here this past year - it's definitely not required since the best way to cook them is to simply leave them whole - head & shell on. Leaving on the head & shell keeps them from drying out during cooking - particularly grilling, broiling, cast-iron-pan sauteeing, etc.

My favorite way to enjoy them is via a method adapted from one used by Bobby Flay - Make a blender marinade of some extra-virgin olive oil (1/4-1/2 cup), 3-4 chopped hot chili peppers, fresh chopped thyme & parsley to taste (3-4 tablespoons), & lots of peeled roughly chopped garlic (up to a whole head). Simply rinse shrimp off, leaving head & shells on, & place in a bowl or ziplock bag with marinade. Marinate for 30-40 minutes. Grill over high heat for approx. 3 minutes per side, depending on size of shrimp (test one for doneness), & enjoy. Sometimes I'll serve these with some lime-juice-spiked melted butter on the side.