Toadfish shrimp tool

Grandma’s gadget makes fast work of peeling, deveining

Thank goodness for Grandmas.

If you love fresh shrimp, but wish there was an easier way to peel and devein a big pile of them, Casey Davidson’s grandmother may have saved the day for you. Davidson is the CEO of Toadfish, a South Carolina business that manufactures the Frogmore Shrimp cleaner.

“We grew up in the Lowcountry and wanted to solve a problem. Peeling shrimp is not a fun process and can be tedious,” said Thor Scott, vice president of sales for the company. “One day our CEO, Casey Davidson, was with his grandmother and she was using a cheap, plastic shrimp tool that only peels the shrimp and she mentioned it would be great to have a blade in the tool. That was where the idea was born and Casey designed the only high quality shrimp tool that can peel, devein and butterfly the shrimp in one smooth, easy motion.”

In a three-year period, the company has sold tens of thousands of the product and are working furiously to keep up with demand. Here’s how it works.

First, you insert the tool right below the top of the shrimp’s shell. Then you push the tool forward, while at the same time sliding the shrimp upwards towards the handle. The entire shrimp peel will be left on the Frogmore cleaner. And the peeled, deveined, and butterflied shrimp will be left in your hand. A quick rinse and you’re done.

Seeing is believing

The company also has a video online that shows the process:

After watching Scott demonstrate the tool and then have others sample it, it was amazing to see how quickly people who had never peeled a shrimp picked up on it.

Toadfish also makes a whole range of kitchen products designed to be sturdy and effective for fishermen and cooks to make seafood prep easy. The shrimp tool is by far the most popular, but their oyster knives, crab cutters and the “Ultimate Spatula” are also top sellers.

The company also has a strong commitment to coastal waters and the seafood that are an essential part of the ecosystem.

“Toadfish is committed to cleaning coastal water by replanting new oyster habitat across the country,” Scott said. “Oysters are the centerpiece of healthy saltwater ecosystems. They filter toxins from the water and provide nursery grounds for hundreds of marine species. The more oysters we plant the cleaner and healthier our coasts become. The Toadfish ‘Put ‘Em Back’ mantra comes from the goal of recycling all oyster shells so they can be reintroduced into the water, where more oysters will eventually grow. An acre of oysters can filter up to 24 million gallons of water per day. Toadfish has planted enough oysters to filter 82 million gallons of water daily. The more oysters we plant, the cleaner and healthier our coasts become.”

To date, 210,643 square feet of oyster beds have been replanted by the company.

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