Rex Trulove
In the restaurant business and commercially, the terms ‘shrimp’ and ‘prawn’ are often used interchangeably. However, these aren’t the same creature. They are merely similar, just as an apple and an orange are similar.
Prawns and shrimp are decapods. That is, they are crustaceans that have 10 legs. The general appearance is similar and both are found in both the ocean and in fresh water.
They are also cooked in the same ways and the flavor is quite similar. Most people can’t tell the difference in taste.
However, prawns tend to be larger and they have pinchers on three pairs of legs. Shrimp only have pinchers on two pairs of legs. The gill structure is also different. Scientifically, they belong to two separate sub-orders. Prawns belong to Dendrobranchiata while shrimp belong to Pleocyemata.
Despite this, they are similar enough, and there is enough confusion between the two, that frequently prawns are called shrimp and shrimp are called prawns. In the US, both tend to be called shrimp. In the UK, both tend to be called prawns.
Of the people who farm these animals for consumption, those found in the ocean are called shrimp and those found in freshwater are called prawns. However, this is incorrect. There are shrimp that live in fresh water and prawns that live in saltwater.
The bottom line is that if you are a purist, prawns and shrimp are quite different creatures. If you really don’t care what they are called and simply enjoy eating them, call them whichever you want to. Almost everyone else does anyway. It probably doesn’t make a lot of difference unless prawns are selling for more money than shrimp, or the other way around. You can buy the one that is the least expensive, knowing that it will be hard to taste the difference.
Really it’s a nice piece of information. Interesting.
I’m glad that you liked it!
Very interesting! They’re both orange in color! And, if you’re going to peel off the shrimp and the prawn, they’d look almost the same. Hehe!
That is very true. Once they are cooked and shelled, it is almost impossible to tell the difference.
It was good information. All I can the size makes it different from each other. Thus, I still love them both and makes crave to have them.
Back when we lived on the coast, we would have them fairly frequently. Where we live now, they are expensive, so we only have them once in a while.
Even here in my place, I am living in the mountainside of my country. It is expected that they cost an arm and a leg.
I have always wondered about this.Thanks for sharing this information.I like both Prawns and Shrimps(not that I can tell the difference.)
It is something that I wondered about for a long time, too, back when I was in the restaurant business.
I’ve always wondered what the difference is, now I know. They both taste great
I agree, and I know a lot of people who have wondered, and actually asked, what the difference was.
Prawn or shrimp? Just eat anyway!! Lol
as long as they taste nice!!
That is exactly how I feel! LOL
Yes, they look very similar and taste very similar, too.
I already explained that. In a nutshell, they have different gill structures and prawns have pinchers on three pairs of legs while shrimp have pinchers on two sets of legs. They are quite different, but they look very similar and taste very much alike.
I do like a prawn or two in the summer
I also enjoy them, though they tend to be expensive here.