Can anyone explain why it is supposedly "fashionable" to serve shrimp with the tail still on? I guess it's no big deal to peel them from a cold shrimp cocktail, but it's quite a pain in the ass when they're mixed in with a pasta dish and covered with olive oil and spices.
I don't know. It does seem like more work. Shrimp makes my throat close up, and my blood pressure drop (I have anaphylaxis) so I can't even smell the stuff. I guess serving it this way is a trendy thing. But messy.
Interesting...I worked as a cook in a few different upscale restaurants and we always served shrimp w/the tail on, no matter what it was going into, unless the customer requested otherwise, and if they did it cost extra to take the tails off!! If u go to a restaurant on the coast in New England the tails will always be attached. I find it annoying and kind of a pain.
It is definitely a pain when mixed in with pasta or something like that. Maybe its just quicker to prepare that way.
My guess is that when you serve shrimp on it's own with dips or whatever it is easy and probably more hygenic to pick it up by the tail. Kinda like a cornish pasty!