How to butterfly a shrimp
Butterflying a shrimp cleans all the grits inside the shrimp and exposes the meat to heat for quick and even cooking, ensuring that the shrimp remains sweet and tender.
- Completely peel the shrimp, including the tail end. If the shrimp is really fresh and wild, reserve shell and head (if any) to make shrimp stock.
- Hold the body of the shrimp flat between the thumb and index finger of the left hand with the head end of the shrimp facing right. With your right hand, use the end blade of a sharp paring knife to slice the shrimp in half lengthwise, stopping about 1/2 inch from the end. Don’t stress out if you accidentally cut the shrimp in half. It’ll just be a little smaller. For jumbo sized shrimps you may want to cut all the shrimps entirely in half lengthwise for a more manageable mouthful.
- Open the shrimp and rinse under a slow running stream of cold water over the sink, using your fingers to pull all grits and entrails off the shrimp. Drain in a colander and repeat for all remaining shrimps.
- Use a colander underneath to catch the grit if you don’t have a garbage disposal in your sink.
- Refrigerate butterflied shrimps until ready to cook. Use either a resealable glass storage container with plastic wrap pressed atop the shrimp to minimize exposure to air (my preferred method), or use a resealable zipper lock bag with all the air squeezed out to store the prepped shrimp.
- Use within one day. Raw shrimp spoils quickly, even with freshest of shrimp.
