Prawns

The humble prawn is a well-loved crustacean. English prawns are caught using pots in estuaries and shallow bays across the UK, such as the small-scale prawn fishery in Cornwall. These taste great and are sustainable. Additionally, there are plenty of cold-water prawns on the market, which are wild caught in the cold and icy waters of the North Atlantic, and imported to the UK. The majority of prawns consumed in the UK are imported from farms in South East Asia.

Prawns are firm and meaty in texture, with a distinctive, sweetish flavour. They taste wonderful in creamy, garlic pasta dishes and stir fries. Before cooking, many people prefer to remove the intestinal tract running down the back of the prawn, known as ‘de-veining’, but if you’re serving the prawns in their shells this isn’t possible. Do not toss the shells away and waste a good ingredient, as they make a flavoursome stock, perfect for a base flavour for soups or risottos.

Adapted from Love Seafood

Distribution

Seafood type:

Shellfish

Best during:

January - March , June - December

Cooking recommendations:

Stir fry, deep fry, poach or tempura

Nearest Alternatives:

Crab Spider Crab Mussels Squid