Can I eat the black line inside shrimp?

Many friends have read some cooking knowledge points that say that they need to remove the shrimp thread before cooking shrimp, saying that the shrimp thread is full of dirt and cannot be eaten. In fact, this is not the case. The shrimp thread is also called shrimp tendon. It is a heavy meridian connected to the abdominal artery. There is no dirt in it and it can be eaten. If you don’t mind the trouble, you can remove it before cooking.

Do I need to remove the black line on the shrimp's abdomen?

Generally no need to remove. The black lines on the shrimp's abdomen are shrimp tendons, which are the shrimp's abdominal arteries and the motor nerve chains connected to them. They are edible. The reason why shrimps can bend their bodies and have the ability to jump is because of this black line on their abdomen, which is the shrimp tendon. All shrimp have tendons, not just lobsters. Shrimp tendons contain the shrimp's blood and motor nerves. There is no dirt in the shrimp tendons, so they generally do not need to be removed before cooking or eating.

How to break shrimp tendons

When cooking with shrimps, we will find that the shrimps will bend into a bow shape when heated. This is caused by the contraction of the shrimp tendons when heated. It is generally not necessary to remove it before cooking or eating. However, due to heat shrinkage, in some shrimp dishes that need to maintain a straight shape, it may be necessary to break this shrimp tendon before cooking. For example, when frying or steaming shrimp fillets, the shrimp tendons must be broken, otherwise the fried shrimp fillets will bend and deform. Specific steps:

1. Place the shrimp belly down on the chopping board and press the shrimp body down to break the shrimp tendons.

2. Use a knife to make a few shallow cuts on the shrimp's abdomen, or you can simply cut the shrimp's tendons.

The difference between the black line on the shrimp's abdomen and back

The black line on the shrimp's abdomen is the shrimp's tendon, and the black line on the back is the shrimp's thread.

The black lines are not all the intestines used by shrimp for excretion. The black line on the back is the shrimp's intestine, which is what we usually call shrimp line or shrimp intestine. There are things that the shrimp has not yet excreted. Shrimp thread mainly plays a role in digestion and absorption of nutrients. Just like human intestines, it serves as a channel for excretion. The things in the shrimp thread are very dirty. This is the same principle as removing fish gills and crab gills. The shrimp thread greatly affects the taste, especially when steaming or braising in wine. The bitter substances in the shrimp thread will cover up the freshness of the shrimp under the action of heat. Moreover, shrimp threads may contain some toxins that are harmful to health and are often prone to accumulating heavy metals. They must be removed before cooking or eating.

The shrimp tendons in the abdomen generally do not need to be removed, as there is no dirt in the shrimp tendons. Moreover, they can sometimes be distinguished by appearance. The shrimp lines on the back of the shrimp are not all black. Some are very light in color and almost invisible. So, when you pick out the white line, it is the shrimp line.