I've been given a big box (3 pounds?) of frozen prawns, smallish ones - more like large shrimp. They're in the fridge defrosting, and I'd like to have them for dinner tomorrow (having a friend over). They've got all their legs and tails and eyeballs and things, and look awful. How do I cook them? I'm thinking of just boiling or steaming them lightly, peeling them, and serving them with a mayo dip, veggies salad. Will that work? Or can I stir fry them in the shell with spices and then peel them? I've read you have to devein them - how do I do that?

Yours questioningly,
Rachel

I don't usually bother deveining the little guys. You can do them in the shell and peel them cold, or peel them first and then stirfry them with veggies (a little curry is always good).

If you have a BBQ you can skewer them, marinate them in lemon and soy for a bit, then cook them quickly, just a minute or two on each side, brushed with a little olive oil.

Or you can batter them with tempura batter (if you're cheating he he) and deep fry them in a little corn oil in a deep cast iron skillet. They're gooooooood...

To devein, you peel them and slit their backs with a sharp knife, look for a white sinewy thing (that's the spinal cord) and/or a dark tube (that's the "intestine" - if you see dark tubes you'll want to get rid of them because they can affect the flavour and detract from the sweetness) and yank it out. The smaller shrimp will sort of disintegrate if you do that so I wouldn't bother.
Rinse them thoroughly in cold water before cooking.

Wash out any orange eggs before cooking also.

Rachel,

I'm quite miffed that you didn't ask me!

If all else fails, they are a good substitute for gough. But gough - as you know - is usually served live...

Karen

eeeek! karen!! what is gough! you have to eat it live! is this a klingon dish! hehehehehe!

I DID ask you .... only I asked everybody else, too! (and thanks, Mrs. Yogi, I'm so glad I didn't have to devein!)

So THAT's how you spell 'gough.' Well, I agree that prawns with their heads and whiskers and eggs and lips and eyeballs and shells and things are a wonderful substitute for gough. Mine were frozen (definitely not live), but they still came a pretty close second!

I ended up pinching off/washing off/squeezing off all the gakky bits and was left with a very very very small bowlful of edible stuff inside shells, which I sauteed quickly in oil and garlic. Neither I nor my dinner companion were dead the next day, so I guess I did it right.

One thing about gough, absolutely no time at all in the preparation! I can't see a Klingon woman (or man) slaving away in an apron over a hot stove, can you? Or washing up afterwards? I suppose that explains the raw (and wiggling) food diet.

Don't worry, Debbie, we won't make you eat any!

Rachel

Gough is great for LC, dead or alive!

I can't see a Klingon slaving over a hot stove either.

Karen

i'm laughing away picturing a klingon in an apron!!!
you're right rachel! can't picture them washing up either!!