Shrimp and Prauns

Shrimps: is one of the most popular ingredients in seafood dishes, shrimp and prawns are enjoyed in many countries of the world.

Shrimp are small animals that live on the floor of oceans and lakes. There are over 2,000 different species of shrimp worldwide. Shrimp are-

Invertebrates

That has a tough exoskeleton. Shrimp range from a small fraction of a few mm to 23 cm long. These crustaceans have a thin, smooth, hard, and almost transparent exoskeleton. Shrimp vary widely in color; tropical varieties are often brightly colored. Shrimp have 5 pairs of jointed walking legs on the thorax, and they have 5 pairs of swimming legs (swimmerets) and 3 pairs of maxillae (feeding appendages) on the abdomen. The body, legs, swimmerets, and other appendages are segmented. Shrimp have two pairs of segmented sensory antennae, a tail fan, and compound eyes.

Shrimp are omnivores; they eat plants and small animals. The unusual pistol shrimp kills or stuns its prey by making a very loud sound with a huge claw with a moveable, snapping appendage. Female shrimp lay over a thousand eggs, which are attached to her swimming legs. The shrimp emerge as tiny, floating organisms, a component of

Zooplankton

The terms "prawn" and "scampi" are often used interchangeably with shrimp: "prawn" commonly refers to freshwater shrimp or large saltwater shrimp; "scampi" is often used by Restaurateurs to describe shrimp cooked in butter and garlic. All shrimp are divided into three basic categories: cold-water or northern; warm-water, tropical, or southern; and freshwater. Warm-water shrimp from the Gulf States represent the overwhelming majority of domestic shrimp landings. The three major species are brown, white, and pink shrimp.

Uncooked brown shrimp have reddish brown shells, and their meat has a stronger flavor than white or pink shrimp because of higher iodine content. As a result, brown shrimp are generally less expensive than the other two varieties. The premium-priced shrimp are white shrimp Penaeus setiferus. Although classified as white, the shells of some are actually greenish gray. Pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) come in a variety of colors, including brownish pink and lemon yellow.

There are two smaller categories of warm-water shrimp. Red shrimp and rock shrimp occur in Gulf of Mexico. The latter (Sicyonia brevirostris) is a fairly recent introduction into the American market. Rock shrimp gets its name from its hard shell. The meat of rock shrimp is very firm, more lobster- like, and lower priced than other shrimp.

The freshwater shrimp known as the Malaysian prawn, (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

These shrimp are large and can reach a weight of-

Shrimp are in season from May to October. And 95% of the shrimp caught come from the warm waters of the South Atlantic and Gulf states.

Unless you live in the part of the country where you can actually buy "fresh" shrimp, it is preferable to buy frozen shrimp. Most shrimp in the grocery stores are frozen shrimp that has been thawed. The shelf like of thawed shrimp is only a couple of days, whereas shrimp stored in the freezer retain their quality for several weeks.

If possible, avoid shrimp that has been peeled and deveined before freezing. It can cause a loss of flavor and texture.

Defrost shrimp in the refrigerator or in cold water. Do not defrost in a warm place or microwave.

http://www.wildamericanshrimp.com/main.html Video

Recipes-Prawns/Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 kg large fresh prawns'
3 spoons olive oil
50 gm ginger, shredded

1 Chicken with 6 caps water

Ingredients from souse:

8 red chilies
15 shallots
10 cloves garlic
60 gm ginger
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 lemon grass bruised
5 kaffir lime leaves
1 cup water
2 cups coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Peel and slice the shallots or garlic finely, and dry well with a paper towel, Heat the oil and deep fry the shallots or garlic until golden brown and crisp. Take care not to let them burn or the flavour will be bitter. Drain and cool before storing.

Simmer the whole chicken in 6 cups water for 30 minutes

To make the spice paste, chop the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, ginger and turmeric, and put in a blender with just enough of the oil to keep the blades turning. Process until fine. Heat remaining oil in a heavy pan and sauté the blended paste together with remaining spice paste ingredients for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Put the cooked spice paste with the partially cooked chicken and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the stock, cut the bone meat into shreds, Strain stock and put back in the pan to reheat.

Divide the transparent noodles. Hard-boiled eggs, bean sprouts, celery leaves, and chicken among 6 large bowls. Add some sliced Lon tong if liked. Top with stock and sprinkle with fried shallots.

There are many ways in which you can cook shrimp and prawns and it is really a matter of preference or specification of a particular recipe Prawns and shrimps can be boiled, steamed, grilled, sautéed, baked or deep-fried and can be cooked with or without the shell, with the vein or deveined. If you have bought prawns or shrimp that have already been cooked, then they should be added a few minutes before the end of the specified cooking time, just to reheat them, as overcooking them will make them tough.

Shrimp pickled.

Ingredients

1 Kg large shrimp peeled, deveined and cooked
Juice two lemons
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
salt
black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 table-spoon capers

Preparation
Garnish: lemon zest, lemon slices, chopped fresh parsley. Clean shrimp, if necessary, and poach until pink. Cool in ice. Drain shrimp from ice. In mixing bowl, whisk together lemon zest, juice, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, olive oil and capers. Add the shrimp, toss to mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Arrange shrimp in decorative design on platter. Garnish with lemon zest and parsley.