Shrimp Boil Question

[Sgt. Pepper]

I guess this is part two of the deveining question I asked a few days ago. I've got several pounds of medium sized gulf shrimp and am gonna have a shrimp boil. I was wondering if any New Orleans natives or anyone experienced in this can help me? Do you eat the vein if they are boiled in shell? What's proper protocol here? I'm getting different opinions on this. Some say the veins are very small and will be hardly distinguishable. Others say they don't even like the thought of it. Surely if you are cooking several pounds of shrimp, you aren't supposed to devein all of those. That'd take a long time! How do they do it in N'awlins? Sound off for me friends. Let me know what you think.

Peace

[shroomgirl]

I lived in Southern Louisiana for 15 years.....
Crawfish and Shrimp Boils.. it is up to each person to either devein or not as they consume the critters. Newspaper is deriguer. If they've not been perged and are exceptionally "dirty" I'll pull the vein when peeling otherwise it impedes consumption.
So there is no yes or no, it's up to each person. Hope that helps. And for a Louisiana boil 3-5# pp headon shrimp is standard, 5-10# crawfish again PER PERSON....we are serious about boils....they normally take hours.

[Cam]

Out here we don't worry about the viens.As you have said they are very small and can not be seen.Now thats west coast can't see a lot of difference in one shrimp to the next ???
Respectfully C

[Sgt. Pepper]

Shroomgirl and Cam...thank you both for your feedback. I seem to be getting differing opinions on this. Seems to be a subjective thing on whether you eat the vein or not. Im boiling them vein in...if the dont like it, either devein yourself or dont eat it! Once again, thanks!

Take care,
Scott

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh

Ok, am I the only one that is shaking his head? You are worried if your guests will eat shrimp with the vein in, and not wondering how they will react when you tell them that to eat a crawdad, you suck its head empty?

And I am assuered that that is the best tasting part of the crawdads!!

EDIT:

Read this. I love this story.

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/craw-urchin.html

I also think this is one of the better websites on the foods of this area. Red Beans and Rice has since become a family favourite here in my household.

[Sgt. Pepper]

Hey Keeper...Chuck Taggart's Gumbo Pages has been a favorite of mine for a while now. I've contacted a few NOLA chefs via email, and they tell me eating the vein in shrimp is a personal choice. They also said that most time its left in, in shrimp boils and that deveinging after they have been cooked is up to the person about to eat it. So as far as my guests are concerned, they can eat it and get over it, or I'll give them a utensil for personal deveining.

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh

LOL

Glad you like

His site is quite amazing isn't it. He also knows some amazing chefs if you need anything expanded on anythin in his site too. As to how to devain a cooked shrimp, I'm not sure. Toothpics are used when they are raw, I will assume they are used the same once they are cooked. Personally, I follow the hosts lead on this one.

So, isn't that a really awsome story of his frat days eh?!

[shroomgirl]

Great story......
Water cockroaches, interesting nickname....
I've got a good friend traveling to N.O. next weekend for her 50th birthday...sending her to Ugelisches and Mother's.....I used to show up at Mother's around 6am to snag some ham bones and scraps to squirrel away for the best Red Beans and Rice....ham, andouille, pork sausage in a long simmering "creamy" pot of red beans! cornbread and remoulade root slaw....few six packs of Abita beer, yep life is good.