Learning how to peel and devein raw shrimp is not difficult—in fact, it’s actually a bit of kitchen know-how you should keep in your back pocket.

Many shrimp recipes, like my recipe for Cuban Garlic Shrimp, are easier to eat (and look better) if you peel and devein raw shrimp before cooking. Peeling is self-explanatory. But deveining is basically removing the “vein” that runs down the back of the shrimp.

Some recipes say you don’t need to remove the vein because it’s flavorless and harmless. But for me, it’s gritty and gross (it is the shrimp’s intestinal tract, after all).

Frankly, it’s poop, and I think it ruins the shrimp’s natural sweet flavor. And yes, I know you can always buy it already peeled and deveined. But why pay someone for a task that is so simple?

Back to the topic. Here’s how to Peel and Devein Shrimp:

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And in case you are a visual learner, here’s a great step-by-step video:

If you want to leave the shells on for a particular recipe, use a small pair of scissors to cut through the shell to reveal the vein. Use the tip of the scissors to remove the vein.

There is something so elegant about Classic Shrimp Cocktail… I dare say, even glamorous.

Maybe it’s the presentation: Huge shrimp perched on the side of a fancy glass, waiting to be delicately dipped into a pool of spicy cocktail sauce.

A great shrimp cocktail starts with shrimp that are perfectly cooked and then chilled quickly so they don’t become rubbery. The sauce is equally important, with just enough kick to balance the sweetness of the shrimp.

This is an easy, and always impressive, appetizer you can make year round. But for all its simplicity, the holidays always seem to make this old-school favorite even more special.

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I’ve always assumed that all of the meat I bought in the supermarket originated in the United States.

Wrong!

I had no idea that the pork roast I served for Sunday dinner might have come from China… or that the roast beef sandwich I just consumed was from South America… or that the chicken I ate was from Canada.

Boy, was I naive.

I stumbled upon this knowledge when I learned that meat processors are blasting a new USDA regulation requiring meatpackers to include country-of-origin information on supermarket meat.

Like everyone I know, I thought all the meat I found in the grocery store originated in the United States. And yes, I know that a lot of our seafood comes from overseas, like Indonesia or Europe.

The new rule on meat, which goes into effect this Saturday, would require meatpackers to track and label every major step of livestock processing and meat production: where a cow (or chicken or pig) was born, where it was raised and slaughtered, and where it was packaged.

Giant meatpacking companies, like Tyson and Cargill say this tracking process is expensive… and doesn’t benefit the consumer.

Really? I mean… REALLY?

There’s one obvious benefit for the consumer: We’ll all be able to decide whether we really want to buy a rump roast from a country that has sub-standard sanitation and food safety laws.

Needless to say, American ranchers and farmers are VERY MUCH in favor of the new regulation, hoping that more of us will opt to buy “locally” (even if “local” in this case means anywhere in the entire United States).

The meatpacker’s lobby is working furiously to amend this regulation in their favor before it becomes law this weekend.

Do you want to know where your meat comes from?

A really good New England clam chowder should be loaded with clams, but just the thought of all that scrubbing, steaming and shucking keeps most of us from ever preparing the dish.

This New England clam chowder recipe uses frozen clam meat (you can find it in Asian markets or at a seafood store), but you can also substitute canned clams. Bottled clam juice and water add a nice depth to the broth and the thick cut bacon gives the chowder a subtle smokiness.

There’s cream in this recipe (it’s a New England chowder after all), but not a lot. You can actually use whole milk (but why would you? It’s chowda!).

Quick. Easy. Deliciously comforting.

Sounds like dinner to me.

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