How do I prepare prawns such that they are straight after boiling/steaming?
I'd like to make a sushi roll or a vietnamese prawn roll but can't seem to get the prawns to straighten, which would make them much easier to roll up. They were still curled up after I cleaned them before the boil.
Best Answer
- Wash the shrimp and remove only the head.
- Insert a bamboo skewer along the shrimp from head to tail, running along the legs without touching flesh
- Drop into boiling, salted water for 3-5 minutes (do not put a lid on); after this period, they'll change color and rise to the top. If they feel firm, they are cooked.
- Quickly place them into ice water, which helps them have good color and stops the flesh from shrinking and becoming hard.
- When shrimp are cold, remove from ice water and drain in a colander.
- To remove the skewer, use a screwing motion.
For nigiri-sushi:
- Remove shell from around body, but not the tail.
- Butterfly cut open, cutting from head to tail along the belly with the knife only going halfway in.
- Use the knife or your fingers to open it up and flatten it carefully, without further breaking the flesh.
- Remove vein and rinse with lightly salted water. Lay on papertowels to drain.
If using for sushi rolls, remove tail and cut in half lengthwise.
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What to do after boiling prawns?
Once boiling, add the shrimp and boil until they're pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp to an ice bath, which is a bowl of water and ice. This will stop the cooking immediately, leaving the shrimp perfectly tender.How do you make prawns straight?
Make a couple of slits underside. Hold the shrimp with both hands and bend it backward (belly-up) to make it straight. Straighten the shrimp as much as possible in order to get the desired shape.How do you keep shrimp straight when cooking?
Always keep in mind how you're going to use or serve your shrimp after you're done boiling them. If you plan to serve them cold, drain and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. If you're serving them as part of another dish, consider when you incorporate them.More answers regarding how do I prepare prawns such that they are straight after boiling/steaming?
Answer 2
Peel, devein and insert a wooden skewer.
Answer 3
I saw on America's Test Kitchen that if you make small slices on the underside of the shrimp, you can reduce the amount of curling. They say "To prevent the batter from clumping on the inside curl of the shrimp, we made two shallow cuts on the underside of its flesh."
Their recipe page has a video, but you need an account to view it. This recipe is for shrimp tempura, but the technique should work for any kind of shrimp dish.
They're using "colossal" shrimp (8-12 per pound). The chef says "there's a very easy solution here. You just take the shrimp and roll it right over so it's belly up, and you make two little cuts—about a quarter inch deep cuts and about an inch apart. These are little release cuts and they're going to prevent the shrimp from curling up as much."
Answer 4
skewers are the answer. no question
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Images: Valeria Boltneva, Ksenia Chernaya, ANTONI SHKRABA, Ksenia Chernaya