Prawns and shrimp come from different branches of the crustacean family tree. Shrimp are members of the pleocyemata suborder, while prawns are part of the dendrobranchiata suborder.

1. Shrimp and Prawns
Prawns and shrimp are among the most popular types of seafood. The meat has a sweet, delicate flavor
and is considered to be a healthy diet choice . They are a rich source of calcium, protein and antioxidants
like selenium buy tiger prawns online .
Prawns belong to the crustacean family, macrobrachium genus and suborder dendrobrachiata. The
genus Macrobrachium consists of about 200 species. They resemble shrimp as well as lobster, with
narrow body and long legs. Prawns are salt water creatures but they migrate to fresh water to spawn.
There is confusion with regards to terminology, as shrimps are also referred to prawns; but the term
prawns should be reserved to the fresh water palaemonids. In United Kingdom and other European
countries the term "prawns" is commonly used whereas term "shrimp" is used in North America.
Several different types of prawns are found in both seawater and fresh water and they are also widely
farmed in various countries. Freshwater prawn farming is an aquaculture business designed to raise and
produce freshwater prawns for human consumption as well as decorative intent. China is the leader in
production of prawns although a lot of southeast Asian countries also produce prawns.
Till the last decade only Giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) were farmed. But recently, the
oriental river prawn (M. nipponense) are farmed in China , and monsoon river prawn (M. malcolmsonii)
are farmed in India.
Prawns are farmed by inoculating postlarvae from the hatcheries into the nurseries and then releasing
them into the ponds. Prawns are continuously harvested from the pond or in batches. Raising prawns is
a lot like other types of food animals. The operation requires special attention and hard work; the ponds
are stocked in the spring with juvenile prawns that grow throughout the summer. When the prawns are
large enough to harvest, the farmers drain the ponds, and the prawns follow the water flow as it exits
into a catch basin. Once in the basin they are then netted, placed in baskets and carried on for additional
processing.
Shrimp look similar to prawns but their gill structure is lamellar whereas it is branching in prawns. The
two have been used interchangeably though and the distinction is more in the area of the world where
they are being consumed rather than on their physical appearance.
In Germany, United Kingdom, Australia and South East Asia the word prawn is used where as in United
States and Canada the term shrimp is used; prawn being reserved for only the extremely large sizes of
shrimp. Most American wild caught shrimp is landed from coastal waters of the Gulf coast, Atlantic and
Pacific Ocean.
There are wide variety of species coming both from the warm water and cold water; the cold water
shrimps are smaller and more succulent. Shrimps may vary in color from red, light brown, pink, deep
red, grayish-white, yellow, gray-green and dark green. Shrimp marketing is according to the size the
general terms being colossal (10 or less per pound), jumbo (11-15), extra-large (16-20), large (21-30),
medium (31-35), small (36-45) and miniature (about 100). In the United States, jumbo and colossal
shrimp are commonly called prawns. Larger shrimp are typically more expensive per pound than smaller
specimens.

2. North America is home to several species of wild shrimp including white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus),
brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum), royal red shrimp (Pleoticus
robustus or Hymenopenaeus robustus) and rock shrimp (Sicyonia brevirostris), Northern shrimp
(Pandalus borealis) and Pacific pink shrimp (Pandalus jordani).
Shrimp and prawns have high nutritive value. Both are sources of iodine, calcium, proteins and other
nutrients. Both are a source of polyunsaturated fats which have anti-inflammatory properties and stop
the cartilage in joints from eroding. Studies have also found their omega-3s reduce the symptoms of
rheumatoid arthritis and have anti cancer properties.
Shrimp and prawns are served as several dishes like curry and pickle in southeast Asia, and as garlic
prawns in Spain. Other dishes include prawn sauce, tapas and potted shrimp. Prawns are also served
with chicken wings and rice. In Philippines a major delicacy is prawns in coconut milk. The dish is
prepared by cooking prawns in coconut milk with a ginger, salt and pepper.
Besides finding their place in restaurant menus, both types of seafood are used in products such as
frozen shrimp, dried shrimp, stuffed shrimps, sauces and pastes are available in the market. Chinese
cooks use a unique style of preparation. Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun dried and shrunk to
a thumbnail size. They are used Chinese cuisine, imparting a unique Asian taste. They have a sweetish
kind of flavor different from fresh shrimps found in North America. Malaysian, Korean and Vietnamese
prawns are similar and used in soups and rice