Uncooked: All about shrimp
There are about 200 different shrimp species. However, they are almost only distinguished by their size and how they grew up. There are "Seawater" and "Freshwater" prawns. Large seawater or saltwater prawns are usually caught wild in the ocean, smaller ones are bred in aquaculture. They are longer, slimmer, have a thinner skin and crisp flesh and are of better quality than fresh or freshwater shrimps. They almost always come from aquaculture. Of course, they come from rivers and ponds.
king prawns
... is the correct name for big shrimp. Shrimps or Prawns They are called in English. Especially large specimens are "Tiger", "King" or "Jumbo" prawns.
Langostino or Gamba are originally Spanish names for the king prawn. Often king prawns, which still have head and shell, than Gambas sold. Naturalized, but actually wrong for giant shrimp is the term scampi.
Norway lobsters
These crustaceans are not shrimp but belong to the lobster genus. This is what they look like: small lobsters with slender scissors (in the photo on the right). With the French name Langoustine is also meant a Norway lobster. In Italian, the animals are called scampi.
langostinos
... are a rare, coveted and expensive delicacy. It is a small lobster species from the Mediterranean. Of the Langostinos there is, usually deep-frozen, to buy the cooked tail.
Small shrimp species
Arctic shrimp or Greenland prawns are always cooked and frozen and are pink-white. Due to the slow growth in icy waters they are also pleasantly tender and slightly sweet in the taste. They are processed in delicatessen salads, usually with mayonnaise, and in crab cocktails.
Shrimps are often called the very small shrimp, mostly deep sea prawns. They are also relatively inexpensive and taste in salads and in rice or pasta dishes.
crabs are small shrimps caught in the North and Baltic Seas and the Mediterranean Sea. Because they spoil very quickly, they are cooked immediately after catching. It is also called a grenade.
crayfish live only in fresh water. Sometimes they come alive or freshly cooked at the fishmonger's, but usually the tripped tails are frozen or brined.
All shrimp taste warm and cold. Especially the big ones like to be grilled or fried with the shell (so they stay juicy). The small ones are more commonly used in wok dishes, soups or salads. Sources of supply, especially for rarer specimens such as Norway lobster and Langostinos, can be found at www.deutschesee.de or at Tel. 04 71/13 01 at the German See.
