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Shrimps, to Shell

It may seem trifling, to those who know how to do it, to say anything about shelling shrimps; but when there is a right way and a wrong way, it is surely worth while to practise the former. When shrimps are boiled alive, the muscle contracts, and folds the tail beneath the body; when the tail remains extended after boiling, it is because the shrimp was dead, and it will be found soft and worthless. There is a difference in the shape of the different species of shrimps. The tail of the brown shrimp is quite rounded at the bend, like that of the lobster, whereas the tail of the red shrimp and the prawn presents a sort of knee or angle. To shell a brown shrimp, take the head between the right finger and thumb, with the left finger and thumb-nail raise on each side the shell of the tail nearest the head; pinch the tail, and the shell will come away entire. At Honfleur, and other parts of the Normandy coast, the finest brown shrimps are picked out to be sent to table as plates of hors d'aeuvres, while the small ones are shelled, to make patties and vol-au-vents, by women who perform their task with incredible rapidity. Comfortably seated on a low, rush-bottomed chair, with their feet kept warm in a small tub or keeler, the shelled shrimps fly from their fingers to the basin which receives them almost as if they were discharged in a stream by machinery. To peel red shrimps and prawns, take the head between the thumb and second finger of the right hand; take the tip of the tail between the left finger and thumb; with the nail of the right forefinger raise the section of the shell which forms the knee or bend; pinch the tail, and the naked flesh will be left attached to the head. Shrimps will not shell easily if they are at all stale, when they are pale and clammy in appearance.