This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

How To Peel A Prawn Like a Professional -- As Told By An Actual Professional

This Is The Actual Way You Should Be Peeling Prawns

Video by Emily Verdouw

Want to know who the true hero of Christmas is? The family member who gets stuck with the task of peeling the prawns.

This brave soul will have to wade through kilos of the prickly crustaceans so nobody else at Christmas lunch will have to deal with the technicalities of removing a "poo vein."

So what's the best way to go about the process? The Huffington Post Australia headed to the Sydney Fish Market to find out.

First up, assess the quality of your chosen prawns.

"When looking at your prawns, you want a nice lustre and a nice shine," Dimitri Hari from De Costi Seafoods told HuffPost Australia. "Look at the firmness as well. If you look at those two things, you’ll be fine."

When peeling for the whole family, Hari recommends sitting the prawns in front of you, preferably in an ice bucket.

"There is no right way of holding a prawn -- just do whatever you feel comfortable with," Hari said. "My dominant hand is my right hand, so I hold the prawn with my left.

"Start with the head. Take the head off using a twisting motion -- once it comes off, throw it out.

"Hold the prawn on the side, and then lift the shell. There’s two parts of it -- so lift and lift -- then turn it the other way holding the legs and it should all come off.

"For the last part of it, take out the vein in the middle and you’re done."

If you have one prawn that's a bit mushier than the rest (you know the ones) Hari said they are still okay to eat.

"The mushier prawn is harder to peel but in terms of actually eating it, once you’ve got the shell off, it’s actually fine," Hari said.

And as for which kind you should buy?

"Tiger prawns are the most popular," Hari said. "They’re a firm sweet tasting prawn -- they’re actually my personal favourite. They are a gorgeous prawn to eat."

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