Detailed Explanation of the Key Processing Techniques and Methods for Mantis Shrimp

Mantis shrimp, also called shrimp crawler, scientific name Squilla. The body is flat and depressed, with well-developed abdominal feet and tail fan. The carapace on the front part of the body is very thin, while the rear part is thicker. The rostrum is not prominent. The carapace is broad and round. The first pair of legs is pincer-like and asymmetrical, with sexual dimorphism and two protrusions on the inner margin.

Mantis shrimp is the main bycatch of set nets, with the spring season from April to July and the autumn season from October to November. It can be processed into frozen boiled mantis shrimp with head and frozen boiled headless mantis shrimp.

1. Processing of frozen boiled mantis shrimp with head

1. Quality conditions: fresh quality, plump shrimp meat, with roe, normal color, no off-flavor.

2. Process flow: raw materials rinsing sorting boiling cooling grading boxing quick freezing packaging cold storage

① Sorting: from the cleanly rinsed raw shrimp, select female shrimp with roe that have plump meat and are in a fresh live state according to quality standards for processing.

② Boiling: put the selected female mantis shrimp into boiling water containing 3% salt for boiling. The ratio of shrimp to water is 1:50. Bring the water to a boil within one minute, keep it boiling for 2 minutes, and then remove the shrimp. During boiling, the heat must be high; the shrimp must be cooked through, but not cooked slowly for a long time, which would make the meat become tough. The salt water must be changed once after each pot, and completely replaced after every 5 pots.

③ Cooling: natural cooling

④ Grading: according to the length of each shrimp (from the base of the eyestalk to the tip of the tail), they are divided into six specifications: 9-10cm, 11-12cm, 12-13cm, 13-14cm, 14-15cm, and above 15cm. After grading, the shrimp bodies are placed separately into clean trays, and one specification label is placed in each.

⑤ Boxing: neatly put the shrimp bodies into transparent plastic bags, with an equal number of shrimp bodies in each bag, and place them flat into small paper boxes, fold the bag openings well, and cover the box lids.

⑥ Quick freezing: send the boxed shrimp into a -25°C freezing room and freeze for 3 hours.

⑦ Packaging: use corrugated cardboard boxes lined with polyethylene plastic bags. The fixed quantity per box is determined according to customer requirements. The outside of the box is printed with the product name, specifications, weight, etc., and tied with plastic bags on the outside, then stored in a -20°C constant-temperature warehouse.

2. Processing of frozen boiled headless mantis shrimp

1. Process flow: raw materials rinsing boiling cooling head removal quick freezing tray removal packaging cold storage.

2. Operational requirements

① Raw material selection: separate live mantis shrimp into male and female bodies, and remove substandard products. Shrimp that have spawned must not be processed.

② Boiling: put the female and male bodies separately into 3-4% boiling salt water for boiling. The female bodies are boiled for 5 minutes, and the male bodies for 4 minutes. Other requirements are the same as for boiling mantis shrimp with head.

③ Cooling: immediately put the boiled mantis shrimp into clean drinking water for rapid cooling.

④ Head removal: use sharp stainless steel scissors to cut off the head at the junction between the shrimp head and the neck segment. Male and female bodies must be piled separately and must not be mixed.

⑤ Tray arrangement and quick freezing: when arranging on trays, place plastic sheets at the bottom of the tray, on top, and between layers of shrimp to separate the shrimp bodies and prevent them from freezing together. Freeze for 3 hours in a warehouse at -25°C or below. Bring the temperature of the shrimp bodies down to -5°C.

⑥ Tray removal: pick it up and give it a gentle shake, and the shrimp will separate.

⑦ Packaging and cold storage: use hard cardboard boxes lined with polyethylene plastic bags, pack the mantis shrimp bodies separately, place one sheet of corrugated paper at the top and bottom of each box, and store in a constant-temperature warehouse at -20°C or below.