It's Shrimp Season!

Shrimping season officially begins today! For those eager to whip up a hearty bowl of shrimp and grits, but wary of tackling crustacean preparation, we have help. Crosby’s Seafood V.P. / wholesale manager Dan Long has 30 years experience with most every kind of seafood and says cleaning and deveining shrimp can be done quickly and easily provided you have the right tools (he suggests a deveiner) and know a few tricks.

1. Buy fresh. Get your shrimp off the boat if possible during shrimping season.
2. Peel the shell off by grasping the legs attached to the shell and pulling towards the side of the shrimp.
3. You may leave the head on or remove.
4. Place the shells in a sealable bag to dispose of and avoid odor—or use in a shrimp stock.
5. Using a deveiner, run the knife-like instrument along the shrimp’s back to remove the vein.
6. Put the shrimp in cold water and “wipe” the vein away.
7. Season, cook as you wish, and serve.

Ready to get cooking? For five of our favorite shrimp recipes, click here.

For our full archive of recipes, click here.