Shrimp

Shrimp are crustaceans, related to lobster, crab, crayfish, and krill. Prawns are not shrimp, but are generally indistinguishable in culinary usage.

To remove the shells, start by pinching away the leg-like gill structure. Then split the shell from there, pulling it off the rest of the way. You may wish to remove the "vein" on the back, which is actually the digestive tract. If the shrimp are already deveined, they will be split along the back, and a good way to peel them is to simply squeeze forefinger and thumb against the tail. This will push the "meat" out and allow you to easily pluck off the remnants of the shell. Of course, this results in tail-less shrimp.

The easiest way to cook shrimp is by boiling. Simply place them into a pot of boiling water and cook them until they change color, generally becoming pink. You can serve the shrimp with lemon juice, ketchup, a mixture of both, or a fancier cocktail sauce.

Shrimp also go well in stir-fry, including fried rice.

A more difficult and dangerous deep fat frying procedure can be used to produce fried shrimp. There are several types including Southern fried shrimp (non-puffy batter containing cornmeal) or Chinese fried shrimp (puffy cornmeal-free batter, as used in westernized Chinese cooking), and tempura (thin and sometimes flaky Japanese style).