Prawn/Shrimp talk

vernplum

vernplum

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We need to talk about these crustaceans. :)

First off, I usually say 'prawns' - to me, whatever size, it's 'prawns', but I do also use it interchangeably with 'shrimp'.

Can you find frozen peeled shrimp that are as good as ones you peeled yourselves? It seems odd that the peeled IQF prawns in 1kg bags at supermarkets are always grey and tasteless with a rubbery sort of texture, because, unless you live by the sea, all shrimp that comes your way has been frozen.

Downstairs from my apartment is a wet market that sells 'fresh' whole shell-on prawns. Of course, these were frozen at sea and are defrosted and laid on ice beds for display, but they are still not 'fresh'. Nevertheless, when I get these home and shell them myself, they are invariably much, much tastier, more colourful and with better texture than frozen supermarket prawns. Why?

I find shelling prawns a chore, which is why I keep searching for a good ready-peeled product, but the quality just doesn't seem to be in the store freezers round here.
 
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Next up: 'veins'.

I see prawns with differing 'Vein' (which are actually the digestive tracts) configurations. Maybe they all have two, but in addition to the well known gritty black back vein, many kinds I see also have one on the inner curve 'belly' side so I end up deveining each one twice. Anyone notice this?
 
Finally - prawn stock. What are you using yours for?

I boil up a big bunch of head and shells with some mirepoix when there are enough, but so far I only ever use it as stock for paella. What other imaginative uses do you have?

Cheers!

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It is a matter of geography. We call them shrimp in the US, for the most part. Some swanky restaurants call them prawns so they can charge more money for them.

As for fresh/frozen, I could get fresh shrimp right off the boat in Port Arthur (a coastal town) and in some parts of Houston. But in Dallas, they are frozen, by necessity. The "fresh" shrimp on display in the grocery stores was frozen, then thawed, so it is not fresh shrimp.

I buy shrimp frozen, shell on. The shell protects the meat. Shelled then frozen shrimp are mushy when cooked.

The only "vein" I remove is the digestive tract, which runs along the back.

CD
 
I always call a prawn a prawn unless they are tiny and then I would usually call them shrimps. We live about 500 km from the sea so our "fresh" prawns are fresh water prawns from local fish farms. Not the same but we have little choice.

Pristine s.jpg

Pristine s.jpg


My wife shells and de-veins them because I'm hopeless. I don't know if she de-veins them twice. We always peel them and remove the heads.

Shelled s.jpg

Shelled s.jpg


Prawn stock in our house is reserved for tom yam khung gai (prawn and chicken).

tom yam khung gai s.jpg

tom yam khung gai s.jpg

 
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I always buy shell on - I agree the IQF process seems to affect them if they've been peeled.

unless you have an excellent source, one rarely has "choices" - but there are many species of shrimp and some are tastier than others.

Wild American Shrimp | Wood's Fisheries
lists some -

another source
Shrimp Varieties - Chefs Resources

our fish monger typically has 2-3 species frozen stock. but usually in 5 pound blocks! vs IQF.....
there's a lot of taste difference between pond raised shrimp and wild caught hoppers/browns, for example.
 
I use either spot or tiger shrimp for taste texture and size for most recipes unless they're being chopped, then I'll use a cheaper variety. Not a fan of fresh water shrimp for taste or texture, maybe because I'm not use to them, maybe. A couple of years ago a shrimp farm in our province opened up getting rave reviews so I used them for a few months, and they were meh, I stopped using them. That black vein on the underside is a vein or artery, theres also one at the top close to the intestinal track but gets removed when deveining.
 
Strictly speaking, there is a difference between shrimp and prawns. Although both are decapods ( ie. they have 10 legs), shrimp belong to the pleocyemata suborder, which also includes crayfish, lobsters and crabs. On the other hand, prawns belong to the dendrobranchiata suborder.
There. That´s helpful, right ? (NOT:laugh::laugh:)
Do they taste different? I think they probably do, although I´d be really pushed to tell the difference; perhaps prawns are slightly sweeter?
They´re definitely tastier if bought with the shell on. Yes, it´s a royal pain to peel them, but heck, that´s the price of quality and flavour. The shells go into a bag in the freezer for my next "bisque" - or to make a "Chupe de Camarones" - a South American shrimp soup.
Do I remove the vein at the top? Most times I don´t bother, and if they´re cooked on the grill, they have to whole anyway. I´d remove the vein if I were going to butterfly them, or if I wanted a more aesthetically pleasing dish, perhaps.
 
Farmed prawns are yuck. Prawns are generally the big versions of shrimp. Shrimp are smaller.

Wild salt water shrimp are the best; and they can be bought frozen and still have excellent flavor. Fresh water or farm shrimp are often soft and mushy, lacking good flavor. They are fed stuff that they wouldn't eat in the wild. I bought a bag of farm shrimp that said they were from India on the label once and they tasted so bad, that I tossed them.
 
CookieMonster said:
I always buy shell on - I agree the IQF process seems to affect them if they've been peeled.

unless you have an excellent source, one rarely has "choices" - but there are many species of shrimp and some are tastier than others.

Wild American Shrimp | Wood's Fisheries
lists some -

another source
Shrimp Varieties - Chefs Resources

our fish monger typically has 2-3 species frozen stock. but usually in 5 pound blocks! vs IQF.....
there's a lot of taste difference between pond raised shrimp and wild caught hoppers/browns, for example.
Click to expand...

I always buy wild caught Gulf shrimp, because they come from less than 300 miles from me. Most shrimp in the supermarkets here come from SE Asia, and are farm raised. Somehow, shrimp from the other side of the world is cheaper than shrimp from 300 miles away. :scratchhead:Fortunately, all seafood here has to be labeled with country of origin, and whether it is wild caught or farmed.

CD
 
CookieMonster said:
I always buy shell on - I agree the IQF process seems to affect them if they've been peeled.

unless you have an excellent source, one rarely has "choices" - but there are many species of shrimp and some are tastier than others.

Wild American Shrimp | Wood's Fisheries
lists some -

another source
Shrimp Varieties - Chefs Resources

our fish monger typically has 2-3 species frozen stock. but usually in 5 pound blocks! vs IQF.....
there's a lot of taste difference between pond raised shrimp and wild caught hoppers/browns, for example.
Click to expand...

Must be something about the process. If I peel and freeze 'fresh' prawns myself, they are fine when I defrost them (maybe slight loss of flavour and texture is a bit softer, but not much).

Tastewise, yes - the wild caught (they call them 'ocean prawns' in the markets here) definitely taste better, but they cost twice as much. 😭

I'm quite spoiled here for selection - I'll take a pic of what they have here when i go there again (prob tmr).
 
caseydog said:
I always buy wild caught Gulf shrimp, because they come from less than 300 miles from me. Most shrimp in the supermarkets here come from SE Asia, and are farm raised. Somehow, shrimp from the other side of the world is cheaper than shrimp from 300 miles away. :scratchhead:Fortunately, all seafood here has to be labeled with country of origin, and whether it is wild caught or farmed.

CD
Click to expand...

A lot of the farmed shrimp here comes from Vietnam, Thailand. They're ok - reasonably priced and get the job done, but not the best.

The frozen ones seem to mostly originate from China.
 
karadekoolaid said:
Strictly speaking, there is a difference between shrimp and prawns. Although both are decapods ( ie. they have 10 legs), shrimp belong to the pleocyemata suborder, which also includes crayfish, lobsters and crabs. On the other hand, prawns belong to the dendrobranchiata suborder.
There. That´s helpful, right ? (NOT:laugh::laugh:)
Do they taste different? I think they probably do, although I´d be really pushed to tell the difference; perhaps prawns are slightly sweeter?
They´re definitely tastier if bought with the shell on. Yes, it´s a royal pain to peel them, but heck, that´s the price of quality and flavour. The shells go into a bag in the freezer for my next "bisque" - or to make a "Chupe de Camarones" - a South American shrimp soup.
Do I remove the vein at the top? Most times I don´t bother, and if they´re cooked on the grill, they have to whole anyway. I´d remove the vein if I were going to butterfly them, or if I wanted a more aesthetically pleasing dish, perhaps.
Click to expand...

I shall rename my Cooking Bites Challenge recipe 'Salted Egg Yolk Dendrobranchiata' which sounds much more appetising! :D
 
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