Shrimp is a satisfying source of lean protein, perfect for all Phases of the South Beach Diet. Plus, raw shrimp cooks in mere minutes, so it's a great choice for quick and easy weeknight meals. But unless you buy your shrimp precleaned or precooked and shelled, you'll need to learn a few DIY tricks. Shrimp can be shelled before cooking or cooked with the shells on, and the deveining process is an optional step done mainly for aesthetic reasons. The following is an easy step-by-step guide on how to do both.

How to Shell Shrimp
If you're going to boil or steam your shrimp, it's best to leave the shell on to retain flavor and moisture. But when you’re baking or sautéing shrimp, try the following:

1. To peel a shrimp, first pull off the legs.
2. Once the legs are removed, you can easily peel back and remove the shell and the tail.
3. To make sure you've gotten the entire shell, run the shrimp under water and slide off any bits of remaining shell.

How to Devein Shrimp
The black "vein" along the back of a shrimp is actually its digestive tract. You can eat this part, but many cooks choose to remove it so that the dish is more appealing.

1. To begin, hold the shrimp in one hand with the tail end facing you and the curved side up.
2. Take a small paring knife or deveining tool and make a shallow cut down the curved back of the shrimp. This will expose the digestive tract, or "vein."
3. To remove the vein, you can use either a toothpick or the knife tip, or you can run the shrimp under cold water and remove it with your finger.

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