Your shrimp arrives at the table. You’re salivating, ready to dive in. But then your gaze narrows in on the thin black line along the backs of each shellfish. As you’re about to rip into some prawns, the thought of “is that…shrimp poop?” and, perhaps more importantly, “is it okay for you to eat it?” passes you by.
The thought of eating poopy seafood makes me sick, but I didn’t want to give up shrimp just yet. I wanted to talk to food safety experts to find out what was really going on. Is that dark line really what it looks like? If so, should you be worried about eating it? Read on to find out what experts say.
As someone who loves shrimp, I often get asked what shrimp poop looks like. After all, shrimp are such popular seafood that many people want to know everything about them!
In this article, I’ll explain what shrimp poop looks like, whether it’s safe to eat, and how to remove it when preparing shrimp. I’ve done lots of research on this topic so I can provide clear details to answer common questions.
Identifying Shrimp Poop
Shrimp poop is contained within the digestive tract that runs along the back of the shrimp This tract appears as a thin black line on the surface. Although often referred to as the “vein,” this black line is not actually a vein at all – it’s where the poop is!
The shrimp’s veins are located on the inside of the body and contain clear blood, not poop. So when you “devein” a shrimp, you’re removing the digestive tract and poop, not the circulatory system.
The poop itself is dark in color and has a grainy, sandy texture. It’s soft when raw but firms up when cooked. You can usually see tiny dark specks of poop inside the tract if you look closely.
- Black line on the back/top of the shrimp
- Gritty, sandy texture
- Tiny dark specs inside the line
- Soft when raw but firms up when cooked
Is It Safe to Eat Shrimp Poop?
A common concern is whether eating shrimp poop is bad for your health. The good news is that swallowing a little shrimp poop is not harmful.
Cooking shrimp to proper internal temperatures will kill any bacteria present in the poop. In that sense, it’s safe to eat like the rest of the shrimp meat.
However, many people find the taste and texture of shrimp poop unpleasant. It can add a bitter, irony flavor and sandy grittiness. This is why shrimp are often deveined prior to cooking.
So while shrimp poop won’t make you sick, it can negatively impact the flavor of the shrimp. It comes down to personal preference whether you want to leave the digestive tract in or remove it.
How to Remove Shrimp Poop When Cooking
If you want to remove the poop line when cooking shrimp, it’s a simple process:
- Use a paring knife to cut along the back of the shrimp
- Make a shallow slit to expose the digestive tract
- Use the tip of the knife to lift out the black line
- Rinse the shrimp under cold water to remove any remaining bits
It’s easiest to devein raw shrimp since they are still firm. Once shrimp are cooked, the meat becomes much more delicate and prone to breaking apart.
You can devein shrimp with the shells on or peeled. Just run the knife along the back and lift out the tract. Then give them a quick rinse before cooking as desired.
If shrimp happen to break apart after cooking, don’t worry – you can still rinse away any visible signs of poop. But for the best results, it’s ideal to devein them when they are still in one piece.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shrimp Poop
Here are answers to some other common questions people have about shrimp poop:
What makes shrimp poop black?
The dark color comes from digested plankton, algae, and other food sources. These get broken down into the blackish-brown waste matter that comprises shrimp poop.
Why does shrimp poop get firm when cooked?
Heat from cooking causes the proteins in shrimp poop to denature and firm up, just like the shrimp meat does. This makes the poop hold its shape better instead of being a mushy mass.
Is shrimp poop gritty in texture?
Yes, shrimp poop contains fine sandy granules that give it a gritty, crunchy texture. These granules are from the exoskeletons of plankton that shrimp eat.
Can you see shrimp poop inside the bodies?
In some cases, yes. If the digestive tract has ruptured during processing, you may see specks of poop inside the shrimp. This isn’t harmful but can impact taste.
Does removing poop change nutrition?
Deveining doesn’t have a significant impact on overall nutrition. The poop makes up a very small portion compared to the whole shrimp meat.
Should you cook shrimp with or without poop?
It’s a personal choice based on your taste preferences! Leaving the poop in is not unsafe. But many prefer deveining shrimp for better texture and flavor.
The Bottom Line
To recap, shrimp poop is the black streak down the back containing gritty, sandy-textured waste. Consuming a little poop is safe after thorough cooking but can negatively impact taste. To enjoy the best shrimp flavor, devein prior to eating.
What’s that black line in shrimp?
The dark line running through the backs of shrimp goes by many names—the dorsal tract, back vein, or sand vein, Tori Stivers, MS, a seafood specialist at the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, tells SELF. The marking is made up of the shellfish’s stomach, midgut, and intestine. Those structures support the crustacean’s digestive process, so yes, that black stuff is the shrimp’s waste, she says.
As for what you’re actually seeing there? Shrimp are called bottom feeders for a reason: They munch on foods found in the muddy depths of the ocean, like plankton, worms, microscopic animals, and various types of organic debris like sand. So that black line is likely a combination of all those things in various stages of digestion, Dave Love, PhD, a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, tells SELF.
Can eating shrimp’s poop make you sick?
Having established that the dark line is the shrimp’s intestines (okay, its poop), should you be afraid to eat it? It might look gross, but most people agree that it’s safe to eat as long as you cook it properly.
“Eating the shrimp’s digestive tract doesn’t make you sick—as long as you cook it thoroughly,” says Dr. Love. That means steaming, baking, frying, or whichever way you’re craving it, until it reaches 145°F. At this internal temperature, the shrimp will take on a firm texture.
That’s not to say you can’t get sick from eating shrimp in general. You can, but Dr. Paul says that eating shellfish raw or not cooked enough is usually what makes people sick. Love. For instance, just like ground beef, raw shrimp can contain bacteria like E. coli. But if you cook it all the way through, the heat will kill the bacteria and any other pathogens that could be harmful before they can mess up your digestive tract. So if you want to eat shrimp with the vein still in it, you might want to avoid raw shrimp sashimi and instead try them in a curry, stir-fry, garlicky pasta, or zesty taco.