In France, unless it says décortiqué (peeled/shelled) on the menu next to your shrimp, it’s going to come the way that the majority of the French eat it: with the head and legs still attached (but, merci dieu, not moving). I was eating last week with a lovely family when the gambas (giant shrimp) dish arrived at the table for the youngest son, its beady little eyes defiantly staring down the 12 year old. I should have warned them. So many dishes in France don’t come exactly the way that Americans are used to seeing them. In Antibes, the fish freshly caught in the Mediterranean were usually served grilled, yet otherwise completely intact, head, tail and all. I would try and de-bone it myself, without much success, effectively mutilating my dinner. The servers loved seeing me struggle, and would come over and demonstrate how to swiftly remove the head and the entire skeleton in three expert movements. I’m still perfecting my de-boning technique, but at least I don’t completely embarrass myself.
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