Thursday, November 24, 2011

How do you butterfly shrimp? And will it keep them from curling up?

I'm going to make some fried coconut shrimp. They are so tasty. I've only made them once before. When I fried them, they curled up. I would like them to be flat like the restaurants serve them. Will butterflying them stop the curling? Can someone explain how to butterfly shrimp.|||You should butterfly them across the top as usual, without cutting all the way through, and then on the underside, take your knife and cut through the blue vein right in the center without cutting the shrimp in half. Just a jab will do it. It is the blue vein which causes most of the curling, and by simply severing it, the shrimp will not curl as they did before.


Also, if you like them wider, use jumbo shrimp and then flatten them once they have been butterflied, using a mallet gently on them under waxed paper. Be careful though, since pounding them hard will crush them into paste.


I learned this from a Japanese chef and have used the technique ever since.|||Put a plate or something on the to keep them from curling. Have you ever been to Waffle House and watched them fry bacon? They put the bacon on the grill then put a heavy pc of metal with a handle on it on top. It keeps the bacon from curling, and will do the same for your shrimp.





You don't want to mash them flat, just enough weight to keep them down.|||the easiest way to keep the shrimp from curling up would be to instert a skewer into them before frying, from the tip to tail so the stay straigh after cooking. The other thing to do is not over cook them, shrimp tend to curl the most when they are over cooked|||Insert a toothpick, and they won't curl up on you.

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