How to Remove Shrimp Legs: A Step-by-Step Guide

Shrimp are delicious crustaceans that can add lots of flavor to dishes like shrimp scampi, shrimp tacos, shrimp salad, and more However, preparing raw shrimp can be intimidating for home cooks who are unfamiliar with how to properly handle them One of the trickiest parts of prepping shrimp is figuring out how to remove the legs.

Luckily, removing shrimp legs is easy once you get the technique down. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn several methods for quickly and easily removing shrimp legs so your shrimp are ready to cook in no time.

Why Remove the Legs?

Before jumping into the how-to, you may be wondering why it’s necessary to remove the legs from shrimp before cooking. Here are a few reasons why taking the time to remove shrimp legs is worth it:

• Aesthetics – Leaving the legs on makes the shrimp look unappealing and messy once cooked Removing them gives you a tidier presentation

• Texture – The legs can be quite crunchy when cooked, creating an odd textural experience when eating the shrimp. Taking them off ensures uniformly tender and juicy shrimp.

• Access to meat – Removing the legs allows you to access more of the delicious shrimp meat tucked away inside. With the legs gone, it’s easier to get satisfying bites of shrimp.

• Deveining – Taking off the legs gives you better access to devein the shrimp properly by exposing the vein running along the back.

How to Remove Shrimp Legs by Hand

Removing shrimp legs by hand is quick and easy once you get the motions down. Here are step-by-step instructions:

What You Need

• Raw shrimp with shells on
• Large bowl filled with ice water
• Kitchen towel or paper towels

Instructions

1. Place the raw, shell-on shrimp in the ice water bowl. The cold temperature helps firm them up which makes peeling easier.

2. Remove a shrimp from the ice water and hold it firmly in one hand, gripping the body.

3. With your other hand, grasp one of the legs near the bottom and gently wiggle it back and forth while pulling lightly to twist it off.

4. Repeat with the remaining legs, twisting them off one by one.

5. Check to ensure you removed all the legs and place the shrimp on the kitchen towel. Repeat steps 2-5 for the remaining shrimp.

Tips for Leg Removal Success

• Work over a bowl or plate to catch any juice that may squirt out when removing legs.

• Don’t forcefully yank on the legs or you may tear the delicate shrimp flesh. Gently wiggle and twist.

• Switch hand positions periodically to give your fingers a break if doing large batches.

• Keep peeled shrimp chilled on ice until ready to cook or peel further.

And that’s it! With practice, you’ll be able to quickly remove those legs in no time.

How to Remove Shrimp Legs with Kitchen Shears

If you find removing the shrimp legs by hand to be tedious, using kitchen shears can speed up the process considerably. Here’s how to do it:

What You Need

• Raw shell-on shrimp
• Bowl of ice water
• Kitchen shears
• Plate or bowl

Instructions

1. Submerge the shrimp in ice water to firm them up.

2. Remove a shrimp and place on a plate or in a bowl, holding it steady with one hand.

3. With kitchen shears in the other hand, snip off each leg at its base, right where it connects to the body.

4. Rotate the shrimp as needed to access all of the legs and snip them all off.

5. Repeat with the remaining shrimp until all legs have been cut off.

Tips for Success

• Keep a paper towel handy for wiping down kitchen shears if they get slippery.

• Don’t close the shears all the way when cutting – keep them partially open and use more of a snipping motion.

• For larger shrimp, you may need to make two cuts per leg to fully remove.

• Work over a bowl to catch any juices and discard the removed legs.

Using kitchen shears takes the hassle out of removing legs by hand and is ideal for large batches. Just make sure your shears are sharp!

Can You Cook Shrimp with the Legs On?

While it’s generally recommended to remove shrimp legs prior to cooking, some people prefer to leave them on and cook the whole shrimp legs and all. Here are a few things to consider if you want to cook shrimp without removing the legs first:

• The texture will be compromised since the legs tend to get crunchy when cooked.

• Appearance may look messier and busier with the legs flopping all over the place.

• Accessing the meat could be trickier depending on the preparation method.

• The leg areas may be prone to undercooking compared to the body.

• Removing the legs after cooking will be more difficult and messy.

However, if you want to cook shrimp without peeling at all, we recommend leaving the shell on but still removing the legs prior to cooking for a better experience.

Storing Shrimp After Removing the Legs

Once you’ve removed those legs, be sure to store the peeled shrimp properly to maintain safety and quality. Here are some storage tips:

• Keep shrimp chilled on ice or refrigerated until ready to cook.

• Place them in a container or zip top bag.

• If storing overnight, drain off any accumulated liquid from the container before use.

• Cook peeled shrimp within 1-2 days for best flavor and texture.

• Freeze if not using within 2 days.

Proper chilled storage prevents prepared shrimp from spoiling prematurely.

Ready to Cook Shrimp Sans Legs

Armed with this guide, you should now feel confident in tackling the task of removing legs from shrimp before cooking. While it may feel intimidating if you’ve never done it before, just follow the simple techniques outlined and you’ll have perfectly prepped shrimp ready for your favorite recipes.

Remember, removing those legs makes the final cooked shrimp more visually pleasing, improves the texture considerably, grants you full access to the sweet meat inside, and allows for easier deveining.

So grab a bag of fresh shrimp, prep your ice water bowl, and get ready to whip those legs off in just seconds flat. Your soups, salads, pastas, and appetizers will thank you with plump, tender properly prepped shrimp. Dig in!