Recognised as the most popular type of seafood, freshwater and seawater prawns are used in a variety of seafood preparations across the world. Low in calories yet high in nutritional value, prawns are considered the best option to enjoy seafood with minimal cooking and preparation time. When it comes to India, every region has a local prawn delicacy prepared with region-specific ingredients.
What are Prawns?
Found in both seawater and freshwater, prawns are aquatic crustaceans consumed as seafood in different parts of the world. For instance, Palaemon and many other varieties are found in rivers and ponds of India and neighbouring nations such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. On the other hand, tiger and banana varieties are found in the Indo-west Pacific Ocean. Tropical prawns are majorly found in Australia.
Owing to their scrumptious, unique flavour, they are used for preparing side dishes and a variety of rice dishes such as biryani or pulao. Whether you cook them in mouthwatering spicy curries or simply toss them in a flavoursome garlic sauce, they never fail to make your taste buds tingle. Since they cook fast, it is best to let them cook on a low flame and retain their nutritional value and taste.
Saltwater and Freshwater Prawns Fisheries
Saltwater Fisheries
The coastline region of the Malabar Coast to the Konkan Coast, the Coromandel Coast in the North to the Rann of Kutch in the West and Ganga’s estuarine zone in West Bengal constitute a huge fishing ground. Indeed around 60% of fish production in India comes from marine fisheries.
Freshwater Prawns Fisheries
The prominent areas of freshwater prawn production in India are the backwaters in estuaries that extend to the southern half of the country, comprising Kerala, Calicut, and the Karnataka coast. A multitude of lakes such as Ennore, Chilika, Pulicat, and Kolar and the mouths of a variety of hill streams in Malabar serve as fisheries for prawns. In addition to this, the estuaries of the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers in the northeast are also renowned for freshwater prawn fisheries.
Nutrition Facts for Prawns
Cleaned with the tail and head removed and the shell peeled off, Licious seawater prawns are flavoursome and juicy. Enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and proteins, they are also reckoned as antioxidants. Their mild, sweet taste and tender texture make them ideal for baked appetisers, curries, and even rice dishes. If you have a penchant for boneless and fleshy seafood requiring minimal efforts to cook and eat, look no further than freshwater or seawater prawns.
What Kinds of Recipes can be Made with Indian Prawns?
In India, prawns in seawater and freshwater are used in many recipes all across the country. They are used in curries in Indian states like Kerala and West Bengal. In North India, seawater prawns are combined in kebabs and added in pulao. In some states, they are grilled and barbecued to make them crispy on the outside but juicy and tender on the inside.
What Methods are Most Suitable for Cooking Prawn?
When it comes to cooking freshwater or seawater prawns, there are endless possibilities in terms of the method. However, the real challenge lies in ensuring that they do not remain undercooked and at the same time they do not get overcooked. Overcooked prawn tastes rubbery and dry and when undercooked, they fail to deliver the desired flavour.
For curries, it suffices to simply simmer them gently in ghee, butter, or oil or roast them in a pan with spices. /you could also marinate the seawater prawns well with the preferred spices and grill them in the oven. For seasoning, you can sprinkle some powdered spices like black pepper along with salt and garnish them with chopped parsley.
What Kinds of Freshwater and Seawater Prawns are Available on Licious?
On our website, we have a wide range of both freshwater and seawater prawns. Right from sea white to pink shrimps and from witch shrimps to larger tiger prawns, no matter which prawn variety you choose from, rest assured that they will always be fresh and not frozen.
Moreover, all our prawns contain no added chemicals. Whether you aim to get the prawn whole or without the tail and head, since they are deveined and cleaned, you can use them without any prep work.
The next time you crave prawns, order fresh deshelled, deveined, and cleaned Seawater Prawn and Freshwater Prawn from Licious and we’ll deliver them to your doorstep straight. Do not forget to tag us on Instagram with #MadeWithLicious and share your personalised version of the Seawater Prawn recipe.
