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Raw shrimp (mixed species)

Awadhi marinated king prawns
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	297 kJ (71 kcal)
Carbohydrates	0.91 g
Fat	1.01 g
Saturated	3.98 g
Monounsaturated	0.080 g
Protein	13.61 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Vitamin A 180 IU Vitamin D 0% 2 IU Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 4% 54 mg Iron 1% 0.21 mg Magnesium 5% 22 mg Phosphorus 20% 244 mg Potassium 4% 113 mg Sodium 25% 566 mg Zinc 9% 0.97 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	83.01 g
Cholesterol	0.0013 g
†Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[2]

Shrimps andprawns are types ofshellfishseafood that are consumed worldwide. Prawns and shrimps arecrustacea and are very similar in appearance with the terms often used interchangeably in commercialfarming andwild fisheries. A 1990s distinction made in Indianaquaculture literature, which increasingly uses the term "prawn" only for the freshwater forms ofpalaemonids and "shrimp" for the marinepenaeids that belong to differentsuborders ofDecapoda.^[3] This has not been universally accepted.

In theUnited Kingdom, the word "prawn" is more common on menus than "shrimp", whereas the opposite is the case inNorth America. Also, the term "prawn" is loosely used for larger types, especially those that come 30 (or fewer) to the kilogram — such as "king prawns", yet sometimes known as "jumbo shrimp". In Britain, very small crustaceans with a brownish shell are called shrimps, and are used to make the traditional English dish ofpotted shrimps.Australia and some otherCommonwealth nations follow this British usage to an even greater extent, using the word "prawn" almost exclusively. When Australian comedianPaul Hogan used the phrase, "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you" in an American television advertisement,^[4] it was intended to make what he was saying easier for his American audience to understand, and was thus a deliberate distortion of what an Australian would typically say. The French termcrevette is often encountered in restaurants.

All shellfish, including prawns and shrimps, are among the most commonfood allergens.^[5]

TheJewish dietary laws,kashrut forbid the eating of shellfish, including prawns and shrimps.^[6] Meanwhile, inIslamic dietary law, the Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali and Ja'fari schools allow the eating of shrimp, while the Hanafi school does not.

As with other seafood,crustacea are high inprotein but low infood energy. A shrimp-based meal is also a significant source ofcholesterol, from 122 mg to 251 mg per 100 g of shrimp, depending on the method of preparation.^[7] Shrimp consumption, however, is considered healthy for thecirculatory system because the lack of significant levels ofsaturated fat in shrimp means that the high cholesterol content in shrimp actually improves the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and lowerstriglycerides.^[8]

Prawns are high in levels ofomega-3s (generally beneficial) and low in levels of toxicmercury, with an FDA study in 2010 showing a level of 0.001parts per million^[9] analysing onlymethylmercury.^[10]

Preparing for consumption the smaller shrimp is done just by shelling, whereas for the larger prawns usually involves removing the head,shell,tail, and "sand vein". A notable exception isdrunken shrimp, a dish using freshwater shrimp that is often eaten alive, but immersed in ethanol to make consumption easier.^[11]

To shell a prawn, the tail is held while gently removing the shell around the body. The tail can be detached completely at this point, or left attached for presentation purposes. Although the head and shell are generally removed before consumption, they are edible when cooked.^[12] Much of the flavor of prawns comes from the shell, so it is preferable to cook them before shelling, otherwise by adding the shells to the cooking stock prior to straining or by flash cooking the shells in the pan to extract the "juices".

Removing the "sand vein" (aeuphemism for thedigestive tract) is referred to as "deveining". This can be removed by making a shallow cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the prawn's body, allowing the dark ribbon-like gut to be removed with a pointed utensil. Special deveining tools are sometimes used, but knives, skewers, and even toothpicks can be used to devein.^[13][14] Alternatively, if the tail has been detached, the gut can be pinched at the tail end and pulled out completely with the fingers. On large prawns, the "blood vein" (a euphemism for theventral nerve cord) along the inner curve of its body is typically removed as well. It is then rinsed under cold running water. Removing these "veins" is not essential, as it is not poisonous and is mostly tasteless.^[15] Deveining does slightly change the flavor and makes it more consistent.^[16] Shrimp also sometimes consume small amounts of sand and so the vein might be gritty.

Recipes using shrimp form part of thecuisine of many cultures. Strictly speaking, dishes containingscampi should be made from theNorway lobster, also called Dublin Bay prawn orlangoustine in French — a crustacean c.10 centimetres (4 inches) long, more closely related to thelobster than shrimp — though in some places it is quite common for other prawns to be used instead.

Shrimp and prawns are versatile ingredients. Common methods of preparation includebaking,boiling,frying,grilling, andbarbequing. They are as delicate as eggs with regard to cooking time. Either cook them quickly, at a high heat for a very short time or else at a low cooking temperature for a long time, or if mixed into a dish, then added close to the end of cooking. When they are overcooked, they have a tough and rubbery texture.

Wet shrimp is commonly used as a flavoring and as a soup base in manyAsian cuisines with shrimpcurry being very popular in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Other recipes includebagoong,okonomiyaki, andpoon choi. In the subject of Japanesesushi, shrimp has long been valued as the "king of sushi-dane", as its composition can be either raw or cooked, and its latter preparation has often been considered a good introduction or choice for those unfamiliar to eating sushi, especially dishes involving raw fish. In North America, fried shrimp is popular, as isjambalaya in the southern States. Shrimp are also found in Latin American and Caribbean dishes such asenchiladas and coconut shrimp. In Europe, prawns and especiallylangoustines are very popular, forming a necessary ingredient in Italiancacciucco, Portuguesecaldeirada, Spanishpaella de marisco, and many other seafood dishes. Prawns are also consumed as salad, by frying, with rice, and as shrimp guvec — a dish baked in a clay pot — on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.

Also, shrimps are fermented intoshrimp paste and prawn saucecondiments in southeast Asia and China.^[17]

Several alternatives have emerged, fostered by environmental and welfare concerns regarding thefishing andfarming of shrimps. Plant-based alternatives often havesoy orseitan as a main ingredient. They may also usekonjac for the texture, and various other ingredients likeseaweed.^[18]

Shrimp aremarketed and commercialized with several issues in mind. Most shrimp are sold frozen and marketed based on their categorization of presentation, grading, colour and uniformity.^[19]

• 
  Shrimp chilled with ice in a market
• 
  Split raw prawns
• 
  Frozen prawns

Many variousdishes are prepared using shrimp as a primary ingredient.Ebiko, or shrimp roe, sometimes translated as "shrimp flakes", is used as an ingredient in the preparation ofsushi.^[20] There also existpopcorn shrimp, garlic butter shrimp, and breaded or battered deep-fried small shrimp.

• 
  Thai seafood set: shrimp soup, shrimp salad and deep-fried shrimp
• 
  Drunken shrimp
• 
  Tom yum goong, a Thaiprawn soup
• 
  A bowl of boiled prawns
• 
  Sashimi
• 
  Air-fried shrimp withrice andasparagus

There is a growingfood fraud concern inAsia–Pacific where non-food grade gels are injected into shrimp and prawns to increase their weight and visual appeal.^[21][22] Three grams ofcarboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) can be used to make 50 kilograms of gel, which can be used for one tonne of shrimp.^[23] In 2022, Cambodia seized 7 tons of shrimp that had been injected with CMC gel.^[24]

To combat food fraud,NIST offersStandard Reference Materials: Wild-caught Shrimp (RM 8258) and Aquacultured Shrimp (RM 8259) for testing.^[25]

External videos
Peeling and Deveining Shrimp -YouTube

• Crayfish as food
• Culinary name
• Eating live seafood
• Fish as food
• Pain in crustaceans
• Seafood
• Shrimp fishery

• Media related toShrimps or prawns as food at Wikimedia Commons
• Shrimp at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject

• Animal-based seafood
• Decapods
• Crustaceans as food
• Commercial crustaceans
• Seafood
• Meat by animal
• Types of food

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