What is the proper Japanese way to eat shrimp heads like in the picture below?
Or are they just garnish and this is a stupid question?
by ProfessionalRise6305
28 Comments
mikecocker
Suck out the brains
Ryu-tetsu
If deep fried you can eat the whole thing but not the spines. The spines can be extremely sharp.
mrmatt244
Frona
I pull off sticky parts and down the whole thing but I am nasty (I also eat shrimp tails.)
JensElectricWood
Thank you for asking this, I’ve wondered about it but have never gotten a clear explanation!
YakiSalmonMayo
At the sushi place I often frequent, they stick your shrimp heads in a miso soup and get all of the stock to flavor the soup. You still don’t eat the heads but the soup is brilliant
CapinCrunch85
Mbizzy222
Suck it. Really.
Chiliesinmybeer
I dip the head in the soy dish and crunch away. The head is so good.
Double-LR
Usually I’ll put them in my mouth. It’s pretty straightforward.
waferstar
Pick em up with your choppy sticks, study them intently from a few different angles for a few seconds, then proceed to throw them in the trash.
EmMeo
I pull the putter shell part off, the bit with the long spiky bit at the front of the head, and pop the rest into my head. You can also just suck the inside out.
sug1
Wow the guys didn’t give you any tempura batter in that. Make sure you look into its eyes as you eat it.
crknneckscshingcheks
Fry them. Eat then.
boom_squid
Whole. Crunch through the shells.
Also, they’re so freaking good
Superb_Minimum_3599
Give it a bite from behind to crush the inside walls then suck out the goodness.
Juddernaut
I was taught to grab them right at the eyes and take a big bite up to there leaving the eyes/antenna
Flat_Milkshake
I’m not going to lie, I’ve never seen just heads of shrimp in a bento box before. I’m from the gulf coast and the head of a shrimp is pretty much good for nothing. The rest of the shrimp, including the tail is seen as expectable to eat. Most sushi restaurants in our area fry the better half of the shrimp and dress the ends of a roll with.
stickykey_board
I feel vindicated! My wife always gave me shit for eating the whole fried shrimp at the Chinese buffet! So good!
Django2chainsz
Curl your tongue like a tube and worm it into the brains and just start sucking
DCGuinn
I was shown to dip and eat them in several bites. Careful with the spines. Heading to Tokyo next month, so probably need to figure out what’s tradition.
Leather-Ad-2490
Put em in your mouth and start chewing
ImpossibleEstimate56
I just remove the sharp thing on the head and eat the whole thing, but that’s my way.
Japanese waywould probably be more discreet but not wasteful, like sucking all the head from the inside.
misoRamen582
in some restaurants, after you ate the whole sashimi set, they will ask you if you want the shrimp heads to be turned into tempura if you have not yet consumed it.
swagnar_ladbro
suck on the end and swallow the gravy
nuJabesCity
Suck on em!
lukluke22228
put it in mouth and chew
ILSATS
They have the super secret recipe of do whatever you want with it nobody cares.
28 Comments
Suck out the brains
If deep fried you can eat the whole thing but not the spines. The spines can be extremely sharp.
I pull off sticky parts and down the whole thing but I am nasty (I also eat shrimp tails.)
Thank you for asking this, I’ve wondered about it but have never gotten a clear explanation!
At the sushi place I often frequent, they stick your shrimp heads in a miso soup and get all of the stock to flavor the soup. You still don’t eat the heads but the soup is brilliant
Suck it. Really.
I dip the head in the soy dish and crunch away. The head is so good.
Usually I’ll put them in my mouth. It’s pretty straightforward.
Pick em up with your choppy sticks, study them intently from a few different angles for a few seconds, then proceed to throw them in the trash.
I pull the putter shell part off, the bit with the long spiky bit at the front of the head, and pop the rest into my head. You can also just suck the inside out.
Wow the guys didn’t give you any tempura batter in that. Make sure you look into its eyes as you eat it.
Fry them. Eat then.
Whole. Crunch through the shells.
Also, they’re so freaking good
Give it a bite from behind to crush the inside walls then suck out the goodness.
I was taught to grab them right at the eyes and take a big bite up to there leaving the eyes/antenna
I’m not going to lie, I’ve never seen just heads of shrimp in a bento box before. I’m from the gulf coast and the head of a shrimp is pretty much good for nothing. The rest of the shrimp, including the tail is seen as expectable to eat. Most sushi restaurants in our area fry the better half of the shrimp and dress the ends of a roll with.
I feel vindicated! My wife always gave me shit for eating the whole fried shrimp at the Chinese buffet! So good!
Curl your tongue like a tube and worm it into the brains and just start sucking
I was shown to dip and eat them in several bites. Careful with the spines. Heading to Tokyo next month, so probably need to figure out what’s tradition.
Put em in your mouth and start chewing
I just remove the sharp thing on the head and eat the whole thing, but that’s my way.
Japanese waywould probably be more discreet but not wasteful, like sucking all the head from the inside.
in some restaurants, after you ate the whole sashimi set, they will ask you if you want the shrimp heads to be turned into tempura if you have not yet consumed it.
suck on the end and swallow the gravy
Suck on em!
put it in mouth and chew
They have the super secret recipe of do whatever you want with it nobody cares.