What kind of animal does the shrimp belong to? Shrimp king, tiger and Atlantic. Reproduction and development
Shrimp are popular with gourmets for their nutritional value and year-round availability. They are not only eaten separately, but also added to salads and appetizers. Shrimp are widespread in all seas of the world and many species live in freshwater bodies. These are small crustaceans, the size of which does not exceed 30 centimeters. In Russia, shrimp are mainly found in the Far East, where there are over 100 species of them. But commercial shrimps are usually divided not by species, but by the size of individuals, it is precisely sorted by size that they go on sale. But the smallest species (up to 7 cm) are deep-sea shrimp.
The history of eating shrimp goes back many centuries. Even ancient culinary experts surprised their masters with magnificent baked shrimps from Minturo, Smyrna or Alexandria.
Shrimp are rich in proteins and valuable amino acids, and also have a large amount of iodine, which is needed for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. They also contain all fat-soluble vitamins: K, A, E, D.
Shrimp contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, cobalt, manganese, copper, molybdenum, fluorine, zinc, vitamins C, B1, B2, B9, PP, provitamin A and B-carotene.
Thus, shrimp are one of the most valuable sources of protein and minerals.
On a note: The amount of iodine in shrimp is 100 times more than in beef!
Shrimp are rich in calcium, which is beneficial for the thyroid, immune system, kidneys, muscular system, blood synthesis, and bone building. Potassium is essential for the cardiovascular system. Zinc stimulates the production of hormones, improves skin, strengthens nails. Sulfur also has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, hair and nails, regulates the function of sweat and sebaceous glands, strengthens the immune system, reduces allergies, participates in the construction of connective tissue, including the valve apparatus of the heart, membranes of venous and arterial vessels, articular surfaces.
Shrimp has very high levels of good cholesterol and is also very high in copper.
Shrimp composition
in 100 grams of product
| The nutritional value | Vitamins | Macronutrients | Trace elements |
|
Caloric content 87 kcal Protein 18.3 g Fat 1.2 g Carbohydrates 0.8 g Water 78.2 gr Saturated Fatty Acids 0.2g Cholesterol 160 mg Ash 1.5 gr |
Vitamin A 0.015 mg |
Calcium 100 mg Magnesium 60 mg Sodium 150 mg Potassium 260 mg Phosphorus 220 mg Sulfur 210 m |
Iron 2.2 mg Zinc 2.1 mg Iodine 110 mcg Copper 850 mcg Manganese 0.11 mg Chromium 55 mcg Fluoride 100 mcg Molybdenum 10 mcg Cobalt 12 mcg Nickel 11 mcg |
On a note: The best shrimp are fresh frozen: they are not only tastier, but also have a longer shelf life. These shrimps can be distinguished by their gray-brown color.
What good shrimp look like
Quality frozen shrimp are slightly curved, firm, and their meat is light gray in color. The carapace may be slightly darkened near the cephalothorax and on the back (these spots should disappear after cooking). Some shrimp can be served with caviar. The product should smell like the sea without any unpleasant odors. All shrimps in the package must be whole, the number of broken antennae and tails must not exceed 5% of the total weight. In addition, the container should not contain anything other than shrimp and ice.
The boiled shrimp should be curved and the flesh should be pink with different shades. The meat should be firm and juicy. The taste and aroma of shrimp is characteristic, there should be no foreign tastes and odors.
What bad shrimp look like
Poor quality shrimp can have an unpleasant odor. Damage to the carapace and antennae is a violation. If the structure of the meat is loose, and its color is gray, yellow or uneven, then the product is spoiled. You should not take shrimp with gray spots on the shell and body, as well as with blackened heads.
On a note: All shrimps in the package must be the same size!
How to determine the quality of shrimp
Carefully examine the package: it must contain the full name of the company, as well as the manufacturer's contact information, the weight of the package and the number of shrimps in one kilogram must be indicated.
On a note: The shrimp package should indicate the number of shrimp per 1 kg or 450 g (this is 1 lb).
If you buy shrimp by weight, the icing on them should not be too thick. Packaged shrimp should not be covered in snow, as this is a sure sign of re-freezing.
On a note: European shrimp suppliers are now leading in terms of quality.
Conventional classification of edible shrimp:
- Classic shrimps (different types of shrimps, packaged by size).
- King prawns.
- Tiger chrimp.
More than 2 thousand species of shrimp are found in nature. However, all of them can be divided into conditional groups according to their habitat. There are warm water and cold water shrimps, as well as sea and freshwater shrimps.
Cold water shrimp
Cold water sea shrimp are very diverse. More than 100 species are found in Russia in the Far East. But the most popular are the northern red shrimp, Pandalus borealis, which live in arctic waters. Their subspecies are the northern chillim Pandalus goniurus and the red comb shrimp Pandalus hypsinotus. These are very small but tasty - a great beer snack.
Warm water shrimp
Warm water shrimp live in the warm tropical waters of the southern seas and oceans. Such shrimps are not only caught in their natural environment, but also bred on special farms. There are few types of warm-water shrimps. The tiger shrimp Penaeus kerathurus living in the Atlantic Ocean is very popular. Also known is the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon. It is common on the coasts of Asian countries. In the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the green tiger prawn Penaeus semisulcatus is found, as well as the white prawn Panaeus Vannamei, also called the king prawn.
Salt water shrimp
Also in the Atlantic Ocean there are southern pink Penaeus notialis, red royal Plesiopenaeus emardsianus, serrated Palaemon serratus, northern pink Penaeus duorarum, northern white Penaeus setiferus shrimp, pink deep-sea Aristeus antennatus, southern pink Penaeus notiatis. Black Sea herb shrimps Palaemon adspersus and sandy shrimps Crangon crangon are found in large numbers in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas. Spotted deep-sea shrimps Pandalus platyceros and captain's shrimps Penaeus chinensis are found on the coasts of Japan and China. And the Chilean shrimp Heterocarpus reedei can only be found off the coast of Chile.
It is interesting: In nature, there are very unusual types of shrimp. So, the spongicol shrimp lives in glass sponges. This shrimp climbs into the sponge at the larval stage, then grows and, due to its size, can already crawl out. And the mantis shrimp is distinguished by its eyes: it is able to see in infrared, optical, polarized and ultraviolet light at the same time. In Asia, the ninja shrimp lives, capable of changing color, mimicking the environment. The Indian Ocean is home to red-nosed shrimp with a long reddish nose.
Freshwater shrimp
But shrimp are not only found in sea and ocean waters. Many species also live in fresh waters. The largest and most popular tropical warm water freshwater shrimp are the giant Macrobrachium rosenbergii. They are better known as king prawns. These shrimps are found in Southeast Asia, China, Indy, Northern Australia and the islands of Oceania. It is interesting that, living in fresh waters, king prawns prefer to breed in salt water.
Freshwater shrimps found in Russia are descendants of the preglacial inhabitants of the Earth. For example, in the Caucasus, in streams and cave lakes, there is a blind troglocar shrimp Troglocaris anophthalmus Kollar.
The Far East is inhabited by the species Leander, Paratya, Caridina. Shrimp Palaemon superbus and Leander modestus Heller are found in Lake Khanka. Both Leander modestus Heller and Caridina denticulata sinensis Kemp live in the Amur. Sakhalin is home to L. Paucudens De Haan shrimp. Shrimp Paratya porealis Wolk lives in the Ulunchi River. The freshwater bodies of the Astrakhan region are inhabited by the eastern river shrimp.
It is interesting: The homeland of the eastern river shrimp inhabiting the Astrakhan reservoirs are Vietnam, Japan and China. However, having arrived in Russia along with consignments of Vietnamese fish, the eastern shrimp successfully adapted to the harsh Russian climate and has been living in our country since the 50s of the last century.
| How to cook shrimp |
How long does it take to cook shrimp
The main thing during cooking is not to allow the meat to acquire a rubbery consistency. In order not to digest the product, you need to consider what type of shrimp you purchased: warm water or cold water.
On a note: Large warm-water shrimps cook longer than small cold-water ones.
Ordinary small Atlantic shrimps are boiled for no more than 2 minutes, and large warm-water shrimps should stay in boiling water for about 3 minutes. The difference is small, but it matters a lot.
The characteristic sign of the readiness of the shrimp is a matte pink color and a slightly transparent shell. After the shrimps are cooked, some cooks recommend not taking them out of the water right away, but leaving them to brew in the resulting broth for 15-20 minutes.
On a note: When the shrimps are cooked, do not rush to take them out of the broth, but let it brew for 20 minutes.
If you bought not fresh-frozen, but boiled-frozen shrimps, then it is enough, without defrosting, to throw them into a pot of boiling water and wait until they float to the surface.
How to improve the taste of shrimp
In Italy, shrimp are sometimes boiled in milk or cream. In China and Japan, green tea leaves are added to the water when boiling shrimp, which helps to discourage the fishy smell.
Russia also has its own interesting approaches to shrimp cooking. For example, there are known methods of boiling shrimp in beer and even in vodka!
The best additives for shrimp during cooking to improve the taste and aroma of the dish are black pepper, bay leaf, lemon, lime, vegetable oil, salt, garlic, tarragon, dill, and cloves.
On a note: The shrimp can be cooked in the microwave, for this it is enough to put the frozen shrimp without adding water for 5-12 minutes, depending on the power of the FSW radiation.
| How to peel shrimp |
In stores, you can find ordinary unpeeled shrimp, and shrimp without a head or even without a shell.
On a note: On average, 1 kg of peeled shrimp is approximately equal to 3 kg of unpeeled.
Some shrimp recipes may be pre-cleaned prior to cooking. In others, on the contrary, it is required to cook the whole shrimp. Even recipes for some dishes include the use of shrimp along with shell or tails. Also, when frying or baking on shrimp bodies, heads are often left. However, if you still need to peel the shrimp, there are several ways.
Shrimp cleaning methods
You can start the cleaning process by separating the head, and then, pulling the tail, carefully remove the shell with the paws and at the same time pull out the insides.
Another way is to start with the legs and then separate the head and shell. If caviar is on the paws, it is better to remove it first.
On a note: Shrimp caviar can also be eaten: it is both tasty and healthy.
There are ways to clean shrimp using kitchen utensils: cut off the legs with scissors, and cut the shell along the outer bend with a small knife, push apart its halves and pry off the inside with a point. Then take out the meat and rinse it.
Tip: To easily peel boiled shrimp, dip it in cold water for a few seconds after boiling.
Using shrimp shells
Shrimp can be used to make soup broth. There are several ways to prepare this broth. First, the shells can simply be boiled in a saucepan with the addition of spices. There should be a little water just to cover the contents. After boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. After boiling, wait until the water has cooled down.
The second method is to pre-wash and dry the shrimp shells in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then cook with seasonings, onions and garlic until boiling, then reduce heat, add herbs and cook for another hour. After cooking, leave for 30 minutes.
On a note: Strain the soup through cheesecloth before using the shrimp shell broth.
| Shrimp market in Russia |
Cold water shrimp are harvested in Scandinavia, Russia and Canada. Canada, Denmark, Norway, Greenland, Russia, the USA and Japan are suppliers of Atlantic cold water shrimp to the Russian market. They are sold mainly fresh frozen.
Warm-water shrimps are supplied to the domestic market by such countries as China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador. They are sold in three types - frozen in an ice block, individually frozen with a head and without a head.
In 2010, supplies of two main types of shrimp were made to Russia: Pandalidae shrimps accounted for 67.8% of the turnover by weight, and 52.8% in terms of price, and Penaeus shrimps accounted for 30.5% and 44.9%, respectively. At the same time, Pandalidae turned out to be 47% cheaper than Penaeus.
In 2007-2010, the average increase in shrimp imports to Russia amounted to 6%. In 2010, the volume of imports almost returned to the pre-crisis level of 2008 and amounted to $ 199 million.
The statistics of average monthly deliveries from 2007 to 2010 showed a drop in the total volume and delivery prices in 2009 to an average annual level of $ 3.09 per 1 kg of goods. In 2010, there were obvious trends in sales growth, while the average annual price since 2008 has grown by 4%.
Russia is one of the world leaders in terms of shrimp consumption. In 2013, shrimps were supplied to Russia from 24 countries!
The main shrimp importers to Russia are Canada, China and Denmark. The largest supplier of shrimp to Russia is Canada (more than 40% of all imports), but China's share is growing with each Goth (from 2.7% in 2007 to 22.8% in 2010).
The most expensive shrimp supplied from Portugal, Nicaragua and Vietnam.
Relatively cheap shrimps - from Italy, Spain, Japan, the Netherlands, Estonia, Iceland, Tunisia.
Major suppliers imported shrimps to the Russian market: Albatross, Polar Seafood Russia, Vichunai-Rus, New Alaska, Agama Royal Greenland, Sea Prod.
Most of the companies on the Russian shrimp market are representative offices of foreign producers. In addition to sales, these enterprises, as a rule, carry out processing and packaging of products.
Fresh shrimp must be properly frozen. The color should be even, the ice glaze should be thin, and the tail should be pressed against the belly. White spots on the shell or snow flakes in the package mean that the shrimp has been thawed repeatedly. Pay attention to the shrimp head, if there is one. Pregnant shrimp have a brown head, their meat is the most delicious and healthy. The green head indicates that the shrimp ate algae and a special kind of plankton. But a black head speaks of a serious illness, it is dangerous to eat such a shrimp. Black spots on the carapace are also unacceptable.
What shrimps most often end up in Russia?
According to the data, northern red shrimp is most often imported to Russia, followed by northern chillim and red comb shrimp.
By the way, they are red even when raw. These shrimps are boiled alive in sea water and immediately frozen after boiling. You can distinguish boiled shrimp from raw one by the tail: boiled shrimp curls, and raw tail is straight. Market research has shown that northern shrimp are supplied to Russia only boiled-frozen, and such a straight tail is a sign that the shrimp was already cooked dead.
Analysis of the frozen shrimp market in Russia highlighted the following point: Russian fishermen catch shrimp, but send them to the USA, South Korea and Japan, and Russia buys shrimp caught by Danes and Canadians. This is justified by economic benefits.
Another nuance concerns the size or "caliber" of the shrimp. On the package you can find such numbers - 50/70 (pieces per kilogram), or 70/90 and 90/120 The larger the number, the smaller the shrimp. Well, cold-water shrimps are small, and the size 70/90 is already a rarity for them. Better to buy shrimp caliber 90/120, all others have more ice than meat.
Small shrimps don't mean bad
The smaller the shrimp, the juicier its meat and brighter taste. One should also take into account the data of the shrimp market survey: cold-blooded ones are caught in their natural habitat, and warm-water ones are grown on farms on an industrial scale.
Interesting fact. The so-called "king" shrimp does not exist in nature. All large warm-water shrimps are united under this name, except for tiger shrimps, so named because of the specific color of the shell.
Different countries have their own king prawns - there are white Pacific, Indian, Chinese, Japanese sweet shrimps, Atlantic red and even giant freshwater shrimps that live in Southeast Asia. But in their natural habitat, only 20% of the total volume of king prawns is caught. The remaining 80% comes from farms where shrimp are bred in special ponds.
Where are the "king prawns" imported from to Russia?
Research of the frozen shrimp market has shown that large shrimps are brought to Russia from China, India and Bangladesh. Farmed shrimp are always larger than wild shrimp, and the manufacturer's packaging must state that it is an aquaculture product. They sell boiled-frozen king prawns in three types - uncut, with a shell without a head or completely peeled. By the way, despite the impressive size - 25-30 cm in length, the meat in the king prawn is only 30% of the total weight, the rest is the head.
Tiger prawns - where are they from?
Mainly, farmed tiger prawns are supplied to Russia. Black tiger shrimps are brought from India and China, and ordinary ones from Indonesia and Thailand. They differ in color - in ordinary ones there are dark stripes on a light shell, and in black ones, on the contrary. The size of tiger prawns is even larger than that of king prawns - 30-35 cm, and meat is 50% of the total weight
Caridea Dana, 1852
Shrimps, or real shrimps(lat. Caridea) - infraorder of crustaceans from the order of decapods ( Decapoda). Widely distributed in the seas of the whole world, many species have mastered fresh waters. The size of adults of different representatives varies from 2 to 30 cm. In the seas of the Russian Far East, the shrimp fauna numbers more than 100 species. Many representatives of this group are objects of industrial fishing.
Although one of the existing types of aquaculture is called a "shrimp farm", crayfish from the family Penaeidae according to modern concepts, they do not belong to real shrimps, but to another group of decapods - Dendrobranchiata.
Reproduction and development
As in all other representatives of the suborder Pleocyemata, a stage with a complete set of segments emerges from under the egg membranes, and their number does not increase in the course of further development. Many types of shrimp are characterized by protandric hermaphroditism, that is, in the course of life they naturally change their sex from male to female.
Eating
Culinary recipes using shrimp as ingredients are popular in many cultures. In Judaism, shrimp, like all marine arthropods, is prohibited for food. There is disagreement in Islam about the permissibility of their use.
Taxonomy
List of superfamilies of true shrimp:
Some representatives
- Comb chillim ( Pandalus hypsinotus);
- Amano Shrimp ( Caridina multidentata).
- Herbal chillim ( Pandalus latirostris);
- Spiked Shrimp Bear ( Sclerocrangon salebrosa);
- Northern shrimp ( Pandalus borealis)
In art
The renowned Chinese painter Qi Baishi was a recognized master of shrimp painting.
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Notes (edit)
Literature
- Westheide W., Rieger R. From arthropods to echinoderms and chordates // Zoology of invertebrates. = Spezielle Zoology. Teil 1: Einzeller und Wirbellose Tiere / trans. with him. O. N. Bölling, S. M. Lyapkova, A. V. Mikheev, O. G. Manylov, A. A. Oskolsky, A. V. Filippova, A. V. Chesunov; ed. A. V. Chesunova. - M .: Partnership of scientific publications KMK, 2008. - T. 2. - iv + 513-935 + iii p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-87317-495-9.
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Shrimps are infraorder crustaceans from the decapod order. Widely distributed in the seas of the whole world, many species have mastered fresh waters.
The size of adults of different representatives varies from 2 to 30 cm.
Most of the colorful species on the market come from China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India. A large number of families and countless genera of shrimp live in the sea, some genera also inhabit fresh waters. The desire for more colorful forms of shrimp resulted in numerous breeding attempts and the search for new, brightly colored species. In turn, interspecific crosses and breeding work have led to the fact that shrimp with extremely bright colors can now be found in pet stores.
Representatives
Structure
They have a rather complex structure, especially expressed in a large number of legs, which in shrimp perform a wide variety of functions, from movement to breathing. The body of the shrimp is divided into two main parts: the cephalothorax, on which the faceted eyes and most of the limbs, including the antennae and walking legs, are located, and the abdominal part, on which the auxiliary limbs are located, which help the shrimp to swim and carry young.
In these animals, three anterior thoracic segments are fused with the head, five pairs of hind legs are used for locomotion, and the forelimbs are transformed into leg jaws, with which they carry food to the mouth opening. The head and chest are protected by carapace, the gills are hidden under its edges. The extremities of the last segment of the abdomen have changed into wide plates, forming a tail fan, due to which the shrimp can make sharp jump-like swimming movements. The oral apparatus is a well-developed jaw (mandible) that serves to grind food. The blade, located on the jaws, provides the movement of water in the gills. The anterior end of the carapace is extended into a sharp subulate rostrum (beak or nose). The abdominal legs (pleopods) are used for swimming, and in females for bearing offspring. In males, the first pair of abdominal legs was transformed into a copulatory organ.
The eyes of the shrimp are stalked and can be turned in different directions, which provides a wide view. In search of food and shelter, shrimps use not so much their eyes as their sense of smell, touch and “chemical sense”. These functions are performed by antennae antennae. At the base of the antennae is the organ of balance - statocyst.
Conditions of detention
Shrimps molt regularly. At this time (two to three days before molting and one or two - after it) they do not feed. Having freed from the old shell, shrimps take refuge in thickets of plants, under stones or in other shelters. After molting, their covers are soft, and for some time, until the shell becomes hard, the animals are defenseless. The shell is often eaten by shrimps - it contains the minerals necessary for a new chitinous cover. After molting, the damaged and lost limbs are restored in shrimp. In young people it happens faster, in adults - gradually, in two or three molts.
Freshwater shrimp
Freshwater aquarium shrimp are becoming more and more popular with hobbyists due to their interesting behavior and peaceful disposition. Small shrimp can be kept in small aquariums in the company of small fish.
Shrimp are very sensitive to oxygen deficiency, so the water must be aerated. They can live at temperatures between 15 and 30 ° C. At 26-30 ° C they are active, at 18 ° C and below they become lethargic. Sharp fluctuations in the temperature of the water in the aquarium are unacceptable.
The part of the aquarium, densely overgrown with plants, will serve as a refuge for the shrimp, and they will gladly clean the driftwood, which is usually home to many tiny organisms. The bottom soil in a shrimp aquarium should consist of gravel with a particle size of 3 to 5 mm, which allows a weak flow of water to penetrate into the soil and, accordingly, allows good plant growth. It is good if there is a lot of moss in the aquarium, especially Javanese. Moss provides shrimp with a large surface from which they can eat microorganisms, and the silt accumulating under the moss serves as an additional source of food.
Since shrimps lead a secretive lifestyle, you can have a separate aquarium for observation and breeding - [[shrimp].
Sea shrimp
Salt shrimp are also cleaners in saltwater aquariums. They are not quite aggressive. The maximum aggression that they are capable of is to fight with swords and mustaches with the same shrimp. Many owners of a reef aquarium, having found a shrimp opening the carcass of a dead fish or invertebrate, put all the blame on it, but this is nothing more than a delusion. Shrimp are aquarium orderlies, not killers.
Behavior
Shrimp are ideal for an aquarium. Small shrimps do not hunt fish or spoil plants, so they can be kept together with small, peace-loving fish species. Large fish regard small shrimp as a pleasant addition to dinner. When shrimp and fish are kept together, it is usually difficult to preserve any juvenile shrimp after the larval stage, including for species breeding in fresh water, since even the smallest fish very willingly eat the larvae.
In addition to small freshwater shrimps, large shrimps are also sold in stores. For example, Nigerian shrimp is a large filter feeder. But even such large shrimps have a peaceful disposition. However, there are exceptions such as Rosenberg Shrimp and Chameleon Shrimp.
Nutrition
Shrimp feed on a variety of food: dying aquatic plants and other organic debris, aquatic insects, polychaetes, tubifex, bloodworms, daphnia, koretra. Plants are also eaten, preferring soft-leaved plants (such as ceratopteris). They eagerly eat dead fish, snails and other animals, and do not refuse dry food.
Reproduction
The process of shrimp breeding is very interesting. As noted, in the male, the anterior pleopods were transformed into a special organ, the gonopodium. Having found a female by smell, which molts before mating, he attaches spermatophores (sacs with sexual fluid) at her genital opening with the help of gonopodia. A young male up to 8-10 mm in size can fertilize five females, while large older individuals (15-20 mm) can fertilize only one. The time interval between mating and laying of eggs - from several days to two weeks. The eggs remain hanging on the pleopods of the female until the larvae hatch. At this time, she hides in a shelter.
For the breeding season, it is better to place the shrimps in a separate jig aquarium, where the female calmly breeds her offspring. In the general aquarium, it will be eaten by fish and other shrimps. Juveniles are very different from adults. She is very sensitive to adverse conditions and often dies.
Crossing shrimp is possible in some cases: see shrimp compatibility table.
Oleg, it's easy to get lost in all the diversity of the shrimp world. How many types of shrimp are there and how are they different?
There are about 2000 species in nature shrimp... All of them can be divided into two groups - cold water and warm water. Outwardly, they differ in size - cold water ones are much smaller.
Are cold water shrimps our usual?
You could say that. Northern red shrimp are most common here, northern chillim and red comb shrimp are also common. By the way, they are red even when raw. These shrimps are boiled alive in sea water and immediately frozen after boiling. You can distinguish boiled shrimp from raw one by the tail: boiled shrimp curls, and raw tail is straight. But here it is important to know that northern shrimp are supplied to Russia only boiled-frozen, and such a straight tail is a sign that the shrimp was already cooked dead.
An interesting point - Russian fishermen shrimp they catch them, but supply them to the USA, South Korea and Japan, and we buy shrimp caught by the Danes and Canadians, they say it is profitable from an economic point of view.
One more nuance concerns the size or “ caliber»Shrimp. On the packaging you can find such numbers - 50/70 ( pieces per kilogram - approx. ed.), 70/90 and 90/120 The higher the number, the smaller the shrimp. Well, cold-water shrimps are small, and the size 70/90 is already a rarity for them. Therefore, I advise you to buy shrimp caliber 90/120, all others have more ice than meat.
That is, we have to be content with the smallest shrimp?
Small does not mean bad. On the contrary, the smaller the shrimp, the juicier their meat and brighter taste. For this reason, I like northern shrimp much more than tropical ones. Moreover, cold-water shrimp are caught in their natural habitat, and warm-water shrimps are grown on an industrial scale on farms.
Are you saying that warm water shrimp are worse?
I would say that they are not for everybody, and besides, when choosing them, it is really easy to get confused. For example, " royal»Shrimp does not exist in nature. All large warm-water shrimps, except perhaps brindle, so named because of the specific color of the shell.
Different countries have their own king prawns - there are white Pacific, Indian, Chinese, Japanese sweet shrimps, Atlantic red and even giant freshwater shrimps that live in Southeast Asia. But in their natural habitat, only 20% of the total volume of king prawns is caught. The remaining 80% comes from farms where shrimp are bred in special ponds.
Where do king prawns come from to Russia?
We mainly supply shrimp grown in China, India and Bangladesh. Farmed shrimp are always larger than wild shrimp, and the manufacturer's packaging must state that it is an aquaculture product. They sell boiled-frozen king prawns in three types - uncut, with a shell without a head or completely peeled. By the way, despite the impressive size - 25-30 cm in length, the meat in the king prawn is only 30% of the total weight, the rest is the head.
Are tiger prawns also farmed?
To a lesser extent than royal ones, but farmed tiger prawns are supplied to Russia. Black tiger shrimps are brought from India and China, and ordinary ones from Indonesia and Thailand. They differ in color - in ordinary ones there are dark stripes on a light shell, and in black ones, on the contrary.
The size of tiger prawns is even larger than that of king prawns - 30-35 cm, and meat is 50% of the total weight. These shrimps are sold raw, headless or headless. They look very impressive with a head, and are often used to decorate dishes.
And why are farm shrimps scary?
Some people don't like the taste that gets shrimp grown on artificial feed. Someone is afraid that they are bred with stimulants, dyes and antibiotics. I just like northern shrimp more - they are tastier and contain much more nutrients. But all this is true only if the shrimp is fresh.
What should be fresh shrimp?
Fresh shrimp must be properly frozen. The color should be even, the ice glaze should be thin, and the tail should be pressed against the belly. White spots on the carapace or snow flakes in the package mean that shrimps defrosting repeatedly. Pay attention to the shrimp head, if there is one. Pregnant shrimp have a brown head, their meat is the most delicious and healthy. The green head indicates that the shrimp ate algae and a special kind of plankton. But a black head speaks of a serious illness, it is dangerous to eat such a shrimp. Black spots on the carapace are also unacceptable.
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