Butterflied prawns add a decorative touch to the meal.
Learning butterfly prawns adds one more tool to your culinary kit and allows you to master a full measure of quality control over the presentation of these tasty shellfish. Prawns purchased with their shell on are less expensive than their peeled, deveined and already butterflied counterparts, which can help with the party budget. This technique is not difficult, but may seem slow going at first until you get the hang of it.
Instructions
1. Peel the prawns by starting at the head area of the body and working your way down to the tail end. If the head is still on, twist it off first. The remaining peel should come off easily by getting one section started with a fingernail and peeling around the body. Leave the tails on when serving whole prawns for a decorative measure.
2. Devein the prawns; lay a prawn on its side and make a small cut down the back, exposing the dark intestinal tract. In some cases, this tract is clear and difficult to see. Remove the vein by gently going underneath it with the tip of your knife and pulling it away from the prawn's body.
3. Butterfly the prawn by deepening the cut you made to remove the vein. Fold the prawn open fairly wide with your fingers, or press the butterfly side down onto the cutting board. Cut a little more into the prawn for a wider spread, if necessary, but do not cut so deep that you cut through the prawn.
Tags: prawns decorative, with your