How to de-vein a raw prawn

If you buy large, raw prawns, it’s a good idea to ‘de-vein’ them before you cook them as otherwise they can taste bitter. First, break the head off the prawns (these can be used to make stock) and peel off the shell. Run a small, sharp knife down the back of the prawn and pull out and discard what looks like a black thread running down the prawn – this is the prawn’s intestinal tract, also called the ‘vein’. It sounds fiddly, but it’s very simple to do.