Pick the perfect prawns this Christmas with the help of a seafood expert
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Christmas is on its way, and you know what that means – it's time to start planning your Christmas dinner!
There's nothing quite like getting together with friends and family, eating loads of yummy treats, and washing it all down with some mulled wine or beer. (Just thinking about it makes our mouths water!)
But if you're hosting this year's festive feast, you want to make sure everything is just perfect – and that includes the seafood. After all, what's a Christmas lunch or dinner without some succulent prawns? (Nothing against turkey or ham, but prawns are where it's at!)
If you're not too confident when it comes to choosing seafood – especially given the wide range of options available – don't worry, we've got you covered!
A seafood expert has taken to social media to share some tips on how to pick out the perfect prawns for your Christmas meal.
In a recent TikTok video, Alex Stollznow, a tour guide and resident seafood expert at Sydney Fish Market, highlighted the several popular prawn varieties available and provided some useful tips on how to choose the right prawn based on your budget.
'This is for people who like eating prawns, but get bewildered when it comes to being confronted by the sheer amount of options of cooked, raw, and farmed at the shops,' he remarked.
'Most people just buy prawns and then just hope that it's nice - but I'll show you how to pick out the best kind for the occasion.'
Prawn Basics
Alex explained the differences between the school, king, and tiger prawns.
School prawns are the cheapest and smallest of the three, usually retailing for $14-20 for a kilo and measuring no larger than the size of a pinky finger.
They’re perfect for eating raw because you can just wash them with egg white, potato starch, salt, and flash fry them at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 seconds. They’re great as a ‘little cocktail prawn’, you can pop them in your mouth unpeeled!
Smaller prawns have a sweeter taste than larger prawns.
Wild king prawns are 10 to 21 centimetres long (about the size of your thumb) and have a broader price range, costing around $35 to $50 per kilogram.
They are Australia's most popular prawns and they have flavours that vary based on the water's salinity and feeding.
The expert added: 'Green King Prawns will often be frozen in advance of Christmas to account for demand, then gently thawed to perfection right before sale.'
'If you're buying green, you've got about 48 to 72 hours to enjoy them. Cooked King Prawns are boiled on board the ships they are caught, and thus have a slightly longer shelf life, at 3 to 5 days.'
The wild king prawns are described as having a subtle and delicate flavour that makes them perfect for cooking light meals.
Farmed tiger prawns have a stronger flavour than wild prawns, costing anywhere between $40 to $60 per kilogram.
Despite the more expensive cost, farmed tiger prawns are ideal for dishes that require more quantity, especially if it’s something with a nice crunch, such as a rice paper roll. Alex said you can expect to pay $15 more because of their ‘aesthetics’.
He said: 'You have to pay a premium for aesthetics - and even though you can't taste looks, about $15/kg is for looks alone when it comes to farmed tiger prawns.'
'They're ideal for dishes that need to pack in more flavour, such as rice paper rolls,' Alex said.
The most delicious prawns are medium-sized ones, no matter the species. Medium-sized prawns offer a perfect balance of tenderness and sweetness and juiciness.
Lastly, he added, 'They're more accessible as they make up most of the catch.'
How to pick a good prawn
For the shrimp aficionados out there here are a few tips to remember when shopping for the best prawns out there. You don't want to get a bruised one that's old, right?
1. The shell has to be 'brightly coloured, firm, intact, and lustrous'.
2. Make sure it smells good, like the ocean! A bad smell indicates that it is not fresh.
3. Inspect the long feelers. They should taper off to a delicate point. If these feelers are mishandled, they become brittle and snap off closer to the head of the stump.
4. Prawns with discolouration around the head or joints should be avoided.
There you have it, folks. Some basic knowledge of how to pick fresh prawns will allow you to reap the full benefits of this amazing superfood!
Do you know other tips for ensuring that you get the freshest prawns while shopping? Share them with us in the comments below!
There's nothing quite like getting together with friends and family, eating loads of yummy treats, and washing it all down with some mulled wine or beer. (Just thinking about it makes our mouths water!)
But if you're hosting this year's festive feast, you want to make sure everything is just perfect – and that includes the seafood. After all, what's a Christmas lunch or dinner without some succulent prawns? (Nothing against turkey or ham, but prawns are where it's at!)
If you're not too confident when it comes to choosing seafood – especially given the wide range of options available – don't worry, we've got you covered!
For many Aussie households, a Christmas dinner will not be complete without prawns. Credit: Pexels/Terje Sollie.
A seafood expert has taken to social media to share some tips on how to pick out the perfect prawns for your Christmas meal.
In a recent TikTok video, Alex Stollznow, a tour guide and resident seafood expert at Sydney Fish Market, highlighted the several popular prawn varieties available and provided some useful tips on how to choose the right prawn based on your budget.
'This is for people who like eating prawns, but get bewildered when it comes to being confronted by the sheer amount of options of cooked, raw, and farmed at the shops,' he remarked.
'Most people just buy prawns and then just hope that it's nice - but I'll show you how to pick out the best kind for the occasion.'
Prawn Basics
Alex explained the differences between the school, king, and tiger prawns.
School prawns are the cheapest and smallest of the three, usually retailing for $14-20 for a kilo and measuring no larger than the size of a pinky finger.
They’re perfect for eating raw because you can just wash them with egg white, potato starch, salt, and flash fry them at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 seconds. They’re great as a ‘little cocktail prawn’, you can pop them in your mouth unpeeled!
Smaller prawns have a sweeter taste than larger prawns.
Wild king prawns are 10 to 21 centimetres long (about the size of your thumb) and have a broader price range, costing around $35 to $50 per kilogram.
A seafood expert has revealed his proven ways of selecting the right prawns in time for the holiday season. Credit: TikTok/@sydneyfishmarket.
They are Australia's most popular prawns and they have flavours that vary based on the water's salinity and feeding.
The expert added: 'Green King Prawns will often be frozen in advance of Christmas to account for demand, then gently thawed to perfection right before sale.'
'If you're buying green, you've got about 48 to 72 hours to enjoy them. Cooked King Prawns are boiled on board the ships they are caught, and thus have a slightly longer shelf life, at 3 to 5 days.'
The wild king prawns are described as having a subtle and delicate flavour that makes them perfect for cooking light meals.
Farmed tiger prawns have a stronger flavour than wild prawns, costing anywhere between $40 to $60 per kilogram.
Despite the more expensive cost, farmed tiger prawns are ideal for dishes that require more quantity, especially if it’s something with a nice crunch, such as a rice paper roll. Alex said you can expect to pay $15 more because of their ‘aesthetics’.
He said: 'You have to pay a premium for aesthetics - and even though you can't taste looks, about $15/kg is for looks alone when it comes to farmed tiger prawns.'
'They're ideal for dishes that need to pack in more flavour, such as rice paper rolls,' Alex said.
The most delicious prawns are medium-sized ones, no matter the species. Medium-sized prawns offer a perfect balance of tenderness and sweetness and juiciness.
Lastly, he added, 'They're more accessible as they make up most of the catch.'
How to pick a good prawn
For the shrimp aficionados out there here are a few tips to remember when shopping for the best prawns out there. You don't want to get a bruised one that's old, right?
1. The shell has to be 'brightly coloured, firm, intact, and lustrous'.
2. Make sure it smells good, like the ocean! A bad smell indicates that it is not fresh.
3. Inspect the long feelers. They should taper off to a delicate point. If these feelers are mishandled, they become brittle and snap off closer to the head of the stump.
4. Prawns with discolouration around the head or joints should be avoided.
There you have it, folks. Some basic knowledge of how to pick fresh prawns will allow you to reap the full benefits of this amazing superfood!
Do you know other tips for ensuring that you get the freshest prawns while shopping? Share them with us in the comments below!
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always make sure if can't use seawater, make brine use ice trays to freeze them in.By doing this u keep the fresh taste
