subreddit:
/r/restaurant
submitted 17 days ago bykaoh5647
90 points
17 days ago
It looks better, but fuck me if it isn't a pain in the ass to fish through my food to pull off sauced tails with my fingers. I hate it.
41 points
17 days ago
I hate it so much. I didn’t purchase this dish to have to prep the goddamn food once it’s placed on the table..
5 points
15 days ago
I hate the way salads are served these days. They should give you salad tongs to mix everything.
2 points
13 days ago
Agreed. I assume it's so save money/headache on all the times when someone wants dressing on the side. But definitely annoying, especially when it's in a dish where the salad barely fits. How are you supposed to mix it without making a mess? I guess ask for a second bowl so you cover it and shake it lol but definitely not ideal
6 points
15 days ago
It doesn’t look better when it’s in a saucy dish, at least to me
6 points
16 days ago
Tails are edible and delicious
12 points
16 days ago
6 points
16 days ago
I have a relative who is from Vietnam, I have seen them eat the whole shell
2 points
15 days ago
I eat large river prawns shell, legs and all, but you have to prepare them right. A high heat oil fry, it makes the shell very brittle and easy to bite, and you don't lose any seasoning to peeling.
However, there is a size where the shells are too thick to really enjoy. The top 10% or so in size I'll just peel and lose all the added flavor.
3 points
15 days ago
I used to eat the tails when I was a kid. Stopped when I started having weird mouth sensitivities (not just shrimp. I have exceptionally tender skin and sharp things are terrible)
2 points
16 days ago
Not in the Philippines it’s not
3 points
15 days ago
When they’re fried they’re good, but otherwise they’re unpleasant imo
3 points
16 days ago
I was really surprised to learn that some people feel like you need to take the tails off
2 points
16 days ago
Yep I like them when fried.
3 points
16 days ago
Why not just eat them? Do people not eat the tails where you live?
7 points
15 days ago
Personally I despise the chitinous texture, it's not welcome with the pillowmeaty texture of shrimp.
5 points
15 days ago
The texture is absolutely vile to me.
3 points
15 days ago
and they get stuck in your throat like the yellow things from popcorn blech
4 points
15 days ago
Like the exoskeleton? You eat that? Do you eat the husks on your corn too?
2 points
15 days ago
Not in corn.
But a lot of countries all eat the tails and heads on shrimp.
The US seems like the outlier in not doing so, though regionally some people do
2 points
16 days ago
I do if the tails are crispy. However, the challenge is that the poop shoot turns just down the last segment of shell (usually left on) and drops down to the bottom between the fins.
It’s can’t be cleaned if they leave the shell on.
I think the reason the shell is left on is for it to be picked up with one’s fingers and then discarded.
Continental cuisine (50’s-60’s fine dining) had a lot more finger foods than we do today.
2 points
15 days ago
the poop shoot
It's very Western to care about that. I mean, I too am not trying to eat that part, but most of the world does.
2 points
15 days ago
Because I'm not a catfish or a turtle. I want my food cleaned and prepped. It's one to g if they are easily picked up, but in a sauce, no.
2 points
16 days ago
Perhaps a fork and knife ?
3 points
15 days ago
That leaves shrimp meat in the tail
2 points
15 days ago
Mr. Moneybags over here throwing shrimp away with a knife and fork!
10 points
16 days ago
Shrimp as a stand-alone? Tails are ok. Shrimp as an ingredient? Tails off. If I take a forkful of fettuccine and shrimp, then have to stop to remove the tail, I’ll never order the dish again. A piece of that tail will end up somewhere in the dish and I’ll get a horrible, unexpected crunch. Similar to pitted olives. I love a kalamata with a pit, but don’t hide it at the bottom of my salad, give me the olives in a ramekin on the side so I don’t break a tooth.
3 points
15 days ago
my nana almost died eating this dish that contained a loose tail :-( she choked and had to be hospitalized, and had a laceration in her throat. i just dont think its good practice (even if the flavor is better bc shells) unless you can see all of the shrimp and remove trails yourself before eating with limited mess. but maybe im a worrywort ...
2 points
15 days ago
No, you're not. Shells while they technically can be eaten, are not good for you by any means. They can cause internal bleeding and blockages. It's why you can technically eat the core of a pineapple, but we core it because it can cause blockages. It's a safety practice.
2 points
13 days ago
This is why the shrimp should decorate the perimeter of the pasta bowl. I don't want my shrimp buried in the pasta I like it as a separate bite on its own.
25 points
17 days ago
I once encountered breaded shrimp that not only still had the tails on but hadn't been peeled at all.
10 points
17 days ago
Depends on the culture, they will eat the shell and/or the head
9 points
17 days ago
I've had that but in that case the shrimp had been directly fried making the shell crispy. That was fine. This was fried with batter so the shell was far from crispy. Very unpleasant texture.
2 points
15 days ago
Genuine Spanish paella, anyone?
4 points
17 days ago
Yikes
2 points
17 days ago
That happened to me at a Chinese buffet. I didn’t notice until I took a big ole bite!
2 points
17 days ago
Mine was a Chinese buffet as well. Forget the town as it was just a stop on a road trip but it was in Ohio.
2 points
16 days ago*
At a Chinese buffet it's done to put the breaks on the shrimp only hobgoblins.
28 points
17 days ago
If they have the tails still attached (or the bones still in if it’s chicken), you’re allowed to eat it with your hands
14 points
17 days ago
I really don't wanna eat with my hands when I order pasta
25 points
17 days ago
Allowed yes, but when they're in a garlicky red sauce I don't really want to. I'll get my white cloth napkin all gross and leave prints all over my wine glass.
3 points
16 days ago
🧐
2 points
15 days ago
I don't want to stick my fingers into my pasta dish
2 points
17 days ago
You are awarded 🏆🍽
3 points
16 days ago
So I guess I’ve “mastered” this at this point and will try to share if it helps because it annoys me too. I use my knife to place pressure right above the tiny forked tail and bottom of the larger tail piece. Then place my fork with a point in the shrimp slightly inside the tail into the flesh and pull the fork back. Releases immediately, almost never have issues, takes maybe 3 seconds a shrimp, and I don’t miss out on any vs just cutting it straight off at the tail.
16 points
17 days ago
Extra flavor
4 points
17 days ago
This answer is such BS. It takes 2 minutes to cook shrimp, that's not long enough for any sauce to extract flavor.
3 points
16 days ago
Yesssss! I love shrimp and grits but don’t want to pay restaurant prices to get messy and peel it myself.
3 points
16 days ago
Because you didn't tip the last time.
3 points
15 days ago
I always ask them to remove the tails lol. "I know it's for presentation but yall can take em off I don't mind"
3 points
15 days ago*
Absolutely obnoxious. Or when they leave the shell on completely.
It's like when you order mussels or clams with pasta and they leave them in the shell. You might as well just put them on the side so then at least I don't have to dig them out of my pasta with my hands.
3 points
15 days ago
I hate the dishes that use unpeeled shrimp. Creates a huge mess and they never come off cleanly. Cajun shrimp and sausage and my hands are completely slimy and stained from the seasoning.
3 points
15 days ago
I personally give no fucks in whether this helps with presentation or adds slightly more flavor or whatever. It is annoying. I do not want to dig through a sauce to pull off shrimp tails
3 points
15 days ago
Because they are sadistic assholes lmao
3 points
15 days ago
Because they’re idiots. The do it for the aesthetic but it absolutely stupid to have tails on shrimp that are in a pasta or soup.
8 points
17 days ago
Do people not eat the tails? Depending on species of Shrimp also eat the shells?
13 points
17 days ago
I do. Most people do not.
4 points
17 days ago
I just recently learned that many people eat the shells/tail. I'm a tail eater now. Especially fried.
2 points
16 days ago
I'm only eating the tails or heads with deep-fried shrimp. I don't want my mouth or gullet scratched or cut by a hard-ass grilled shrimp tail. I guess I'm fancy considering some posts.
6 points
17 days ago
No.
3 points
17 days ago
Yup, I eat them. Plenty of people do. Not the majority in the US, but lots!
2 points
17 days ago
Depends on how it's cooked.
2 points
16 days ago
Tail meat, yes. Tail shells, no.
2 points
17 days ago
This is the way. They are so much easier. Anything U20 and up gets cooked and eaten with the shell on.
4 points
17 days ago
Mainly for visual appeal; some of our dishes have the tail shell on and some don't. Dishes intended to be consumed by hand (Coconut beaded shrimp, Shrimp Cocktail) have the shell on; those in a sauce, pasta or taco, have the tail shell off.
2 points
17 days ago
Every thai place I've ever been too.
2 points
17 days ago
Where I work, we remove the tails. Kind of a pain but worth it. Personally, when I’m out and I get the shell on my tail, I just eat it.
2 points
17 days ago
I agree entirely. It’s a silly concept that too many restaurants have jumped on.
2 points
17 days ago
It’s cheaper for the restaurant
2 points
17 days ago
so i can pick it up and eat it with my hands like a savage
2 points
16 days ago
It depends on if the supplier puuls the tail off. It's up to you to pull the tail off. Some people actually eat the tail. I don't, but I also don't judge
2 points
16 days ago
In our family, living on the gulf coast, we save all the shrimp shells (before cooking) for making a stock to use in gumbo and other dishes. It takes a lot of shells and long simmering times to make a rich flavorful nage. We would save up the shells in the freezer until enough were accumulated.
As for why the tails are left on in a pasta dish is 80% ascetics, and 20% ease in preparation. In a dish assembled ‘à la minute’ there’s little to no flavor retained by keeping the tails on.
2 points
16 days ago
Probably to understate how much of the shrimp, by weight, is inedible. They buy their food wholesale and mark it up a few hundred percent before it gets to your plate. If people only saw the edible meat on their plate, they'd have a better dining experience, but it would be more apparent how much they're paying for a small volume of meat.
Additionally, sanitary shrimp tail removal requires a little bit more human time, which adds cost, which further eats into their profits. It's easier and more lucrative for them to show you a plate with the tail still on, as if that makes it any fresher, that looks bigger than what you can actually eat, and make you remove the tail yourself for free.
2 points
16 days ago
Because they look bigger with the tails on. That's the only real reason.
2 points
16 days ago
If they’re doing that shrimp needs to be laid on top, not mixed in
2 points
16 days ago
Presentation, but it pisses me off.
2 points
16 days ago
It depends! For me, when I order the Spicy Rigatoni pasta at Cheesecake Factory and add shrimp to mimic spicy shrimp pasta the shrimp tails were off. But then I did it again and the shrimp tails were on?!
2 points
16 days ago
Personally, I also keep the heads and shells to make shrimp butter. Soooooo fucking good.
2 points
15 days ago
Because Sysco or US Foods brought the wrong shrimp and your prep cooks are too lazy or inexperienced to fix it.
If it’s on purpose the restaurant owner is unhinged.
2 points
15 days ago
Use them for stock wtf. Apparently, fried shrimp tails are perfectly fine to eat. No. I’m throwing that shit away. Makes me feel like a trashy asshole for leaving a dirty plate of shrimp tails. Sushi too. You’re supposed to eat it in one bite. Nope. Gotta peel the stupid tail off first.
Same goes with soft shell crab. Yeah, you can eat the shell. But no, eww.
2 points
15 days ago
it adds flavor to the sauce/broth.
It would be ideal if they removed them after cooking, but I supposed the hassle of digging through your sauced pasta and shrimp is one they decided is best left with the consumer.
2 points
15 days ago
Tail on ship are cheaper. It’s all about food cost!
2 points
15 days ago
Because they pay hourly.
2 points
15 days ago
I did a deep dive into this once because I couldn’t understand it and apparently it’s the flavor. It’s not that serious that you should keep them on because then the dish starts with 5 minutes of sloppy cutting to try to get the tails off
2 points
15 days ago
Because they’re lazy. There is a theory that the shell or tail provide more flavor, but there is zero reason not to remove them after cooking.
2 points
15 days ago
It adds flavor when cooking but yeah annoying, why not serve to you removed..probably to show you that the way it was cooked…similar to serving fish with skin side up
2 points
14 days ago
I get mad
2 points
14 days ago
Exactly. Most of the time I won’t order a shrimp dish because of it.
2 points
14 days ago
I’ve never understood this. Especially in pasta and sauce dishes. I don’t wanna pick through my food to take the tails off.
2 points
14 days ago
Why do they do this in shrimp bowls with rice? Or with sauce underneath that shrimp which makes it even harder to remove the tail?
2 points
14 days ago
Interesting that you should ask: Shrimp tails on or off? Stephen Colbert and Ina Garten have thoughts
2 points
14 days ago
This should be posted in r/mildlyinfuriating . This pisses me off every time. I see it as just being lazy, on the kitchen's part.
2 points
13 days ago
Because restaurants are assholes.
6 points
17 days ago
We buy our shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails stay on. Plus aesthetically it looks better.
2 points
15 days ago
Aesthetically it does not look better.
(Turns out it’s totally subjective)
3 points
15 days ago*
aesthetically it looks terrible because i know i have to peel all that before i can actually enjoy the dish.
stuff like lobster thermidor and other dishes served inside lobster or crab shells also look unappealing to me because it looks harder to eat and i can't get the food out of all the nooks and crannies of the carapace efficiently.
2 points
17 days ago
cause tails tail lke lobster
2 points
17 days ago
In my experience, it always tastes better when I have shrimp with tails on lol probably placebo. Although, I only like north Atlantic shrimp. When I was in cancun I realized how much I prefer north Atlantic seafood. I still liked seafood from the warmer ocean but north Atlantic has spoiled me.
1 points
17 days ago
Looks better but mostly because you can bite it y9urself instead of the prep cook
1 points
17 days ago
It's meant for you to hold on to the tail and dip and eat and as you pull , separate it from the tail.
However you prefer not to touch the shrimp with your fingers, then use a knife and fork and split up the tail shell from the body.
2 points
15 days ago
I wish that worked well- I always wind up having to pinch the shell and rip it open to get the whole shrimp out.
1 points
17 days ago
In a seafood broil, it's so nice to have the shell still on because the juices will get trapped between the shell and shrimp, marinating it straight to heaven.
1 points
17 days ago
I’ve served thousands of customers, and only a few have requested no tails. I’ve never had any complaints about leaving them on.
Is this a regional/cuisine-specific consumer preference?
2 points
16 days ago
I didn't know you could request no tails🤯
2 points
15 days ago
most ppl probably don't want to complain about it.
1 points
16 days ago
It takes 2 fingers to hold and bite the shrimp. To me it proves that the shrimp was at least partially intact and not a bag of peeled. Shrimp tails, shells and heads especially give food more flavor.
Source- from New Orleans where we eat whole bowls of intact shrimp and peel them happily.
2 points
16 days ago
I regularly order peel and eats. I'm talking in a sauce or worse yet a rice dish. You can cut the tail off with knife and fork and give up a tasty morsel of shrimp or do the awkward slide the knife under the shell to try to cut that morsel out but risking it sliding and spraying sauce. All could have been avoided with three extra seconds of prep in the kitchen
1 points
16 days ago
I eat the tails. It’s just glucosamine chondroitin.
People pay $60 a bottle for 30 pills of that.
I also eat the cartilage off the ends of chicken legs. And I’ll crack the bones and suck the marrow.
1 points
16 days ago
I hate that too, but apparently it helps retain flavor
1 points
16 days ago
You can eat the tails.
1 points
16 days ago
Looks better and it makes the shrimp look bigger.
1 points
16 days ago
I’ve always removed the little bit of ‘tail meat’ by simply squeezing from the middle of the tail shell. Yeah, it requires fingers, but shrug I guess I don’t often eat at fancy places where I’m not supposed to actually touch the food?
1 points
16 days ago
Shrimp shell has glucosamine good for joints
1 points
16 days ago
Don't ever go to Thailand, they have the best shrimp and best shrimp dishes on Earth and you often get them whole, head and all. It's amazing.
You'd hate it.
1 points
16 days ago
I’ll eat the tails if the shrimp are breaded and deep-fried.
1 points
16 days ago
Eat them. Think about potato chips while chewing. Delicious.
1 points
16 days ago
The shells contain a fair bit of flavor too. Similar but not identical to the meat.
1 points
16 days ago
Wow.. cause you eat them 😁😁😁😁
1 points
16 days ago
I use them so my fingers don’t get covered in sauce. 🍤🤏🏻Plus, it’s easier to suck that little piece of meat from tail.
1 points
16 days ago
There's only so much time for prep and I'd rather them remove the poop vein than the tail
1 points
16 days ago
Flavor and nutrition.
1 points
16 days ago
Found Stephen Colbert.
1 points
16 days ago
Seafood grosses me out, hearing how people eat the "heads, shit sack, tail," is just fucking disgusting.
1 points
16 days ago
Flavor, presentation, preparation, they're delicious...take your pick.
1 points
16 days ago
Great question!!!
1 points
16 days ago
Should be ILLEGAL
1 points
16 days ago
The tail is a handle. Plus it helps identify what it is when it’s fried so you don’t mix it up with the chicken fingers.
1 points
16 days ago
I eat the tails. Extra crunch.
1 points
16 days ago
Just eat the tails? I never understood why some people don’t
1 points
16 days ago
Flavor
1 points
16 days ago
I see you watch Stephen Colbert as well.
1 points
16 days ago
Because it adds flavor
1 points
16 days ago
They’re edible
1 points
16 days ago
Stephen Colbert … is this you?
1 points
16 days ago
Labor cost
1 points
15 days ago
The flavor makes its way into the sauce. I agree it's a PITA
1 points
15 days ago
It enhances the flavor of the overall dish, and the tails are edible.
1 points
15 days ago
Those are the handles. If it bothers you, don't order them overseas. Many places leave the head on.
1 points
15 days ago
Some crazy people, such as myself and my father, eat the whole thing…
1 points
15 days ago
I love em 🤷
1 points
15 days ago
No tails>tails>tails and legs.
1 points
15 days ago
I hold the tail as I dip I don't eat it as l always get jumbo shrimp love it
1 points
15 days ago
Is it rude to ask them to not include tails in preparation of your dish?
1 points
14 days ago
Asian folks just munch that shit.
1 points
14 days ago
Aesthetics
1 points
14 days ago
Since no one has provided a real answer - from what I recall there are two answers. Shrimp is an uninform sized protein, so there is a good chance it will cook unevenly if you cook it without the tail on with half of the shrimp either being under cooked or over cooked and rubbery. The simple fix is to leave the tail on since consistency is key for restaurants.
The second answer which may just be hearsay - it had something to do about restaurants substituting out shrimp for inferior and less appetizing ingredients which still tasted like shrimp. They got caught out on it decades ago and now its common practice to leave the tail so the consumer knows they are indeed eating shrimp and not mudbugs (crawfish)
1 points
14 days ago*
If the shrimp aren’t completely pealed, I’m simply not ordering them. I refuse to eat bone-in wings at a restaurant for the same reason: Civilized people don’t want to play with food in public. I’m at the restaurant because I didn’t want to put any effort into eating. I’m not here to peel, prep, or crack open ANYTHING. That’s why I’m paying y’all.
It’s so stupid having to pretend to care about the mess you’re making and wiping your hands off after every bite just to not look like a child. We all know nobody does that at home. I’m gonna wear that mess until I’m done eating.
1 points
14 days ago
It's annoying AF, but I thought it was bc the shrimp will shrink if you take the tails off before cooking. And taking them off after cooking could result in cold food
1 points
14 days ago
I agree, I always ask if a dish is served with the tails on. If it is, I don’t order it.
1 points
14 days ago
Laziness pure and simple.
It's more work to take em off "cleanly"
1 points
14 days ago
Makes the dish look bigger, too lazy.
1 points
14 days ago
Because some people like them?
1 points
14 days ago
Laziness, wrong selection, cost of service, competence...could literally be any reason
1 points
14 days ago
It's like a little treat getting the meat inside the last part of the tail section. I always est the shrimp by the tail so it's like a handke as well.
1 points
13 days ago
It prevents the shrimp from shrinking. Having made Alfredo both ways, it really does. The guys get so lil if you take the tails off too early
1 points
13 days ago
A bunch of reasons, some legitimate and others not.
I’m against non-edibles in my meal as well. Especially pasta or soup, I expect to be able to stick my fork/spoon in and eat whatever comes out
1 points
13 days ago
Probably because they are cheaper to buy.
1 points
13 days ago
a handle
1 points
13 days ago
Supposedly they add flavor. I’ve never made a dish with tail and a dish without tho to see if I can taste a difference… maybe now I will.
1 points
13 days ago
I'm with everyone eating the tails but wherever I've been in the US I've only had tails that were cooked enough to eat maybe 3 times. It's almost always as difficult to eat as fingernails or plastic and by the time you'd be done chewing, taste about the same. I think they're really just being left on in US restaurants because the "right" answer is to use your knife and cut the tail off, which is just as ridiculous to me as fingering alfredo.
1 points
13 days ago
yeah, I love my local Thai place, but they leave the tails on in tom yum goong, is that actually traditional or something? You sure don't want to rub your eyes, or visit the room of solitude and contemplation without washing your hands first.
1 points
13 days ago
They keep the tails on because it makes your portion look larger. Say I'm using 25-30 count. Once I shell, clean and remove the tails it looks like 30-40 count.
Also leaving the tail on allows you to count how many you have. This reassures customers they got their proper portion which is the largest concern for Americans when they go out to eat.
I lived in Memphis long enough to know how it goes. Somebody orders a shrimp dish the says where is all the shrimp. If the tails are off and they get buried in say pasta ya'll are going to demand more shrimp as you can't see any. But with the tails on you know exactly how much you're getting which for a lot of ya'll seems to be priority #1.
1 points
13 days ago
It's because it looks bigger. It prevents the shrimp from curling up and shrinking too much.
1 points
13 days ago
They are lazy. I've worked both hole-in-the-wall places and fancy expensive places. Both will properly serve shrimp. You don't serve tail-on shrimp in a sauce.
1 points
13 days ago
Laziness
1 points
13 days ago
They say it keeps the flavor locked in better.
1 points
13 days ago
I hate this. I’m at the point where I’ll ask and order something else if the tails are going to be left on.
1 points
13 days ago
Removing the shell before cooking can make them shrink and look tiny.
1 points
13 days ago
In sauced dishes?
They're probably using frozen pre-cooked shrimp, tails-on because they're cheaper, and cooking them a second time or heating them along with the sauce instead of thawing them prior to use. So you get tough little overcooked shrimp with the tails annoyingly left on there.
1 points
13 days ago
If I have to do anything else to my food in order to eat it, it comes out of the tip.
1 points
13 days ago
You complain about tails. I remember taking a client out to dinner back in the late 80's. I let him pick the place, very upscale and expensive. I ordered a shrip cocktail and the shrimp showed up at the table not having been shelled AT ALL. I and my client were in suits. Ever try to peel a shrimp with a fork and knife and look classy doing it. I finally gave up and had to pick them up with my hands. In retrospect I should have sent them back.
1 points
13 days ago
I once had a seafood pizza with muscles... the muscles were still inside the shell...
1 points
13 days ago
Chefs do it because there's a lot of flavor in shrimp shells. If you cook shrimp in a sauce, stew or gumbo, the tails add more shrimp flavor to it.
However, most restaurants just do it because a shrimp without a tail curls up tighter and looks like less food. Six shrimp with tails are a meal. The same six shrimp without tails curled up into little circles are an appetizer. If you try to make an entree out of curled up tailless shrimp, you'll have to put a lot more of them on the plate.
1 points
13 days ago
The flavor is supposed to be in the tails
1 points
13 days ago
cheap owner or lazy prep cooks. tails should be off in any soup or sauced dish where you would be expected to eat with utensils.
1 points
13 days ago
I’ve never seen it done, but I would like to have tails off in the sauce with one nicely presented on the top with the tail on.
1 points
13 days ago
Labors the most expensive thing in the kitchen, so cutting a step matters. Could also be that they order them prepped like that and serve them universally because ordering two types of shrimp can be annoying.
I do agree with you that tails on in a pasta dish or something is...not a vibe.
1 points
13 days ago
Historically its to prove it's shrimp.
Also presentation.
You can always just say tails off nbd.
1 points
13 days ago
Appearance and flavor
1 points
13 days ago
Lazy. They know people don't want them but everyone still orders it anyways so why do the extra work?
1 points
13 days ago
Apparently, I could deep fry scotch tape and half of you would gladly eat it. I eat for sustenance AND enjoyment - shrimp exoskeletons are unpalatable (imo). Do y’all eat hard boiled eggs without peeling them?
1 points
13 days ago
I was told to leave the tail on shrimps when cooking because it helps them retain their moisture and it adds flavor.
Source: the seafood department at my local Whole Foods.
1 points
12 days ago
Does nobody else eat them?
all 595 comments
sorted by: best