Prawns (shrimps)

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SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Have they been through depuration before you buy them
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There's a place about 2 hours from where I live called "Boca de Uchire". It's a huge saltwater lake. You can get prawns/shrimp straight from the water. No depuration, no nothing, and the stuff is just divine. To be honest, I don't think there's a big difference in flavour.
 
karadekoolaid said:
There's a place about 2 hours from where I live called "Boca de Uchire". It's a huge saltwater lake. You can get prawns/shrimp straight from the water. No depuration, no nothing, and the stuff is just divine. To be honest, I don't think there's a big difference in flavour.
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Could be coincidental but I’ve found the ones that haven’t been purged slightly more prawny tasting than the ones that have.

I don’t enjoy deveining prawns but I’m bordering on thinking it’s worth it.
 
karadekoolaid said:
...yep, and I'd almost be prepared (almost, I said :laugh: :laugh: ) to say that 99% of the world population wouldn't notice the difference with or without the intestinal tract removed.
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Probably.
The small amount of reading I’ve done about depuration was triggered by repeatedly noting a difference in flavour between prawns in the UK and prawns in Spain which are sourced from the same places.

The depuration process which obviously involves clean water and no food for a period of time does remove chemical compounds (can’t remember their names) that give an “earthy” flavour.
A worthwhile amount though? 🤷‍♀️

I’m still not sure if that tiny difference is worth the hassle of deveining prawns, generally a splash of fish sauce reinvigorates them enough to please me.
I don’t religiously remove every intestine, mostly just the very fat full ones that defo make the prawn taste extra “earthy” 😂

If you’ve ever kept a fish tank you know fish poo is definitely a bit stinky and would likely have a special flavour 😆
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Have they been through depuration before you buy them or is that not a thing in Thailand?
They don't seem to bother in Spain but in the UK they pretty much always have.
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I assume that is the same as "purging" in the US. It is not normally done with shrimp here.

I've gotten pretty good at shelling and de-veining shrimp. I saw a tool on YouTube that does both in one swipe. I need to see if I can find it again, and get one to try.

CD
 
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caseydog said:
I assume that is the same as "purging" in the US. It is not normally done with shrimp here.

I've gotten pretty good at shelling and de-veining shrimp. I saw a tool on YouTube that does both in one swipe. I need to see if I can find it again, and get one to try.

CD
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It is the same and usually states depuration is the purging of shellfish by blah blah.

That might be rather useful 👍

I’ve always treated prawns as a convenience food. They are an easy ‘store cupboard’ (freezer) staple for when I want something tasty but don’t want to be in the kitchen for long.
The lack of depuration and additional prep totally alters the way I use them when not at home.
The fondness I have for their ease of use disappears!
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Have they been through depuration before you buy them or is that not a thing in Thailand?
They don't seem to bother in Spain but in the UK they pretty much always have.
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Depends where you buy them in the UK. I've often had to devein prawns. Sometimes I don't bother. Its not harmful. I do try to buy shell on prawns, uncooked. They taste so much better and can be cooked in shell and/or alternatively, the shells can be used for wonderul seafood stock.
 
Morning Glory said:
Depends where you buy them in the UK. I've often had to devein prawns. Sometimes I don't bother. Its not harmful. I do try to buy shell on prawns, uncooked. They taste so much better and can be cooked in shell and/or alternatively, the shells can be used for wonderul seafood stock.
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I buy wild caught, shell on shrimp (heads off). They hold up to freezing better -- the shells protect the meat. Unless you live right on the coast, shrimp is going to be frozen wherever you buy it. If it isn't frozen, it has a short shelf life.

And yes, the shells can be kept, frozen, and later used to make shrimp stock.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I buy wild caught, shell on shrimp (heads off). They hold up to freezing better -- the shells protect the meat. Unless you live right on the coast, shrimp is going to be frozen wherever you buy it. If it isn't frozen, it has a short shelf life.

And yes, the shells can be kept, frozen, and later used to make shrimp stock.

CD
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The prawns that we buy from Makro here are freshwater bred. They come from farms in the area (I understand) and are "preserved" on ice during transport, when on display and when sold. What happens to the remaining stock at closing time I shudder to think but I've yet to have any problems with the ones we have bought from Makro in the past.

Regarding the shells, I cannot abide the shells in my mouth nor messing around with food on my plate so my wife de-shells them for cooking.

I remember a time in Hong Kong in the mid 90s when I was out on a survey with three Chinese representatives of our JV partner. Ronnie Chang (I kid you not) suggested we had lobster for lunch and obtained a couple from the docks to take to a local restaurant for cooking. The chef cooked them and served them whole. The Chinese were straight in there crunching and spitting out the shells on the floor but I couldn't do that. The staff eventually found a small "toffee hammer" for me but by that time there was very little lobster left.
 
Yorky said:
The prawns that we buy from Makro here are freshwater bred. They come from farms in the area (I understand) and are "preserved" on ice during transport, when on display and when sold. What happens to the remaining stock at closing time I shudder to think but I've yet to have any problems with the ones we have bought from Makro in the past.

Regarding the shells, I cannot abide the shells in my mouth nor messing around with food on my plate so my wife de-shells them for cooking.
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I've never had freshwater prawns (which are actually called prawns here). I don't know offhand where I would buy them.

I also can't eat shrimp shells and all. And, I also don't like peeling them at the dinner table. I peel them before cooking.

CD
 
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