How to Clean Mantis Shrimp
Cleaning a Mantis Shrimp is very easy - and very rewarding. The flesh is naturally sweet and salty; with a delicate texture that rivals a shrimp's! Learn how to extract the flesh to use in stir-fry and deep-fry dishes.
Yield: 4 servings
Equipment
- Kitchen Shears
- Saucepan
- Stainless basin
Materials
- 1 kg mantis shrimp or as available
Instructions
- Wash the mantis shrimp carefully.
- With a pair of sharp kitchen shears, remove the head.
- Cut off the legs and gills at the bottom of the mantis shrimp.
- Cut the tip of the telson (or tail) from the back through one of the fins, at a 45° angle.
- Trim off the sides, removing the pointed parts (or "thorns") along the shells. Use the edge of the flesh as a guide. Flip the mantis shrimp to the other side, and repeat.
- With the mantis shrimp upside on the palm of your hand, hold one side of the telson firmly with your thumb. Gently lift off the bottom of the shell with the other hand.
- Then, carefully remove the flesh of the mantis shrimp, and set aside. Repeat the process with the rest of the mantis shrimps.
- Once all the flesh have been extracted, they can be cooked immediately, or stored in cling wrap, in an air-tight container, in the fridge for not more than a day.
- Add all the shells and any other organic waste of the mantis shrimp into a saucepan of boiling water, and let it boil for 10 minutes.
- Once done, the shells can be strained and discarded. The stock can be used immediately, or kept for another day (see Notes).
Notes
Tips
- Be careful when handling the mantis shrimp as they have multiple sharp points all along the sides of their shells.
- Use a pair of sharp kitchen shears for the ease of cutting through their shells.
- Try to cut through the sides when removing the sharp points - this makes removing the top and bottom shells easier.
- Pre-boiling the shells for about 8 -10 minutes thoroughly cooks them, reducing the fishy smell that turns rotten overnight. When it comes to seafood, any organic waste should be thoroughly boiled before disposing them.
- Pre-boiling the shells also leaves us with a light-tasting stock that can be used in other seafood dishes. Be sure to thoroughly strain the shells before using the stock. It can be kept for no more than a day in the fridge once completely cooled.
- The stock can be kept in the fridge, in an air-tight container, for no more than a day, or frozen for no more than a week.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!