Info about Prawns
Prawns: Shrimp or Something Else?
Prawns are a kind of crustacean very similar to shrimp. They are eaten, just like shrimp, by many. While prawns and shrimp are both in the crustacean family, they are different species. Dendrobranchiata is the name of the group prawn is in and shrimp are Pleocyemata. Shrimp are actually more similar to crabs and lobsters than prawn. It is very common for the two names to be interchanged, but while the two are very similar, prawns are not shrimp.
The best and easiest way to tell prawns and shrimp apart is to look on the abdomen of the creature. On the underside of the tail of a shrimp, the second plate overlaps both of the plates next to it. But on a prawn, the same plate only overlaps one. Another glaringly obvious difference is the gills. Shrimp have plate like gills while prawn gills are set up in a branching structure. This isnít the only difference between the two crustaceans, though. The reproductive patterns are different in both prawns and shrimp. Unlike shrimp, prawns release their eggs into the water to grow and hatch. Another difference is that while a shrimp has claws on two pairs of legs, a prawn has claws on three pairs of legs. Another physical difference is the length of the antennae. A shrimp has shorter, thicker antennae than a prawn.
Prawn and shrimp, while different from each other, also branch off into different types. Shrimp varieties include pink, brown, white, spot, and royal red, while prawns are classified as deep water, king, banana and tiger prawn. Each different variety has their own unique flavors, creating even more of a difference between the two crustaceans.
Prawns, like shrimp, can be cooked in many ways. The head shell can be removed, they can be de-veined, and they can be fried, steamed, grilled or broiled. When prawn is bought at the supermarket, it is important to pay attention to whether itís fresh or frozen. Not only will frozen prawn have to thaw out, the crustacean actually loses some flavor when itís frozen. Both shrimp and prawn are cooked basically in the same manner, causing even more of confusion as to the likeliness of them.
Cooking prawns without the shell requires the shell to be personally removed. To do this, itís best if frozen prawn is bought. The shell is easier to remove slightly frozen. The head comes off with a twist. Follow up with removing the legs, and then pull the shell off. Another important point to remember about cooking prawn is that they cook extremely fast. They can fry in as little as 30 seconds, while breading them first will usually take just under a minute.
Prawns have been around for millions of years. Fossils from Madagascar, over 250 million years old from the Permo-Triassic age, have been found containing prawn. While it is known that they have bee around for quite a long time, it is unclear if they were always cooked and eaten by humans or even other animals the same way they are today.