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Preparing prawns
How to shell, devein and butterfly raw prawns ready for cooking.
Points to remember
- To shell prawns, twist the head off the body.
- Pull the shell off in segments until you get to the tail. Squeeze and the tail should come off.
- Take a sharp knife and score down the body of larger prawns to expose a black vein. Take the tip of the knife and remove the vein.
- Wash before using.
- To butterfly a prawn, shell it as before, but leave the tail in place.
- Remove the vein as before.
- Take the knife and work deeper into the body of the prawn.
Push the meat apart and you are left with a butterfly prawn.
Useful tips
- Be careful not to slice all the way through when preparing a butterfly prawn.
- Leaving the tail in place on a butterfly prawn will give you something to hold on to.
