THE LEGS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
Shellfish and crustaceans are without a doubt some of the most popular seafood around the world. Most people love seafood, as it offers a wide variety of flavors and textures in many traditional dishes. Not to be neglected, they are a healthy and nutritious source of lean protein that can contribute to a balanced diet. Names such as shrimp, lobster, prawns, scampi, gambas, crevettes, oysters, mussels, calamari or crabs inevitably evoke a fresh, maritime taste and a feeling of holidays somewhere near the sea. But everyone has probably asked themselves at some point: What is what? Admittedly, it is not easy to get an overview of the partially similar delicacies and what the difference is. Some specimens are entirely different species, others differ only minimally, and still others just have different names depending on the country.
The following seafood is summarized under the terms: Crustaceans: lobster, king crab, lobster, shrimp, crab, prawns. Shellfish: clams, snails. Cephalopods: Octopus (8 Arms), Calamari (10 Arms). There is often uncertainty, especially with prawns and shrimp. Or is it even scampi? To put it simply, all crustaceans that do not have claws are called shrimp or prawns. These vary in size and can range from 4 mm small to 33 cm large specimens. In France, they are called crevettes, the Italians call them gamberi and the Spaniards gambas. In Greece, it is garides.
But what is exactly the difference between shrimp and prawns? Shrimp is just the English term applied to smaller species, and prawns is more often used for medium-sized to larger forms. There is no clear distinction between both terms, and their usage is often confused or even reversed in different countries or regions. If they are larger than 15 cm, they are also traded under the name tiger prawn or king prawn. This size classification applies to Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. In America you may find prawn and shrimp used interchangeably to describe them.
Read the full article in Issue 24
