Shrimp and prawn as food

Preparation

Preparing for consumption the smaller shrimp is done just by shelling, whereas for the larger prawns usually involves removing the head, shell, tail, and "sand vein". A notable exception is drunken shrimp, a dish using freshwater shrimp that is often eaten alive, but immersed in ethanol to make consumption easier.

To shell a prawn, the tail is held while gently removing the shell around the body. The tail can be detached completely at this point, or left attached for presentation purposes. Although the head and shell are generally removed before consumption, they are edible when cooked. Much of the flavor of prawns comes from the shell, so it is preferable to cook them before shelling, otherwise by adding the shells to the cooking stock prior to straining or by flash cooking the shells in the pan to extract the "juices".

Removing the "sand vein" (a euphemism for the digestive tract) is referred to as "deveining". This can be removed by making a shallow cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the prawn's body, allowing the dark ribbon-like gut to be removed with a pointed utensil. Special deveining tools are sometimes used, but knives, skewers, and even toothpicks can be used to devein. Alternatively, if the tail has been detached, the gut can be pinched at the tail end and pulled out completely with the fingers. On large prawns, the "blood vein" (a euphemism for the ventral nerve cord) along the inner curve of its body is typically removed as well. It is then rinsed under cold running water. Removing these "veins" is not essential, as it is not poisonous and is mostly tasteless. Deveining does slightly change the flavor and makes it more consistent. Shrimp also sometimes consume small amounts of sand and so the vein might be gritty.

Recipes using shrimp form part of the cuisine of many cultures. Strictly speaking, dishes containing scampi should be made from the Norway lobster, also called Dublin Bay prawn or langoustine in French — a crustacean c.10 centimetres (4 inches) long, more closely related to the lobster than shrimp — though in some places it is quite common for other prawns to be used instead.

Shrimp and prawns are versatile ingredients. Common methods of preparation include baking, boiling, frying, grilling, and barbequing. They are as delicate as eggs with regard to cooking time. Either cook them quickly, at a high heat for a very short time or else at a low cooking temperature for a long time, or if mixed into a dish, then added close to the end of cooking. When they are overcooked, they have a tough and rubbery texture.

Wet shrimp is commonly used as a flavoring and as a soup base in many Asian cuisines with shrimp curry being very popular in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Other recipes include bagoong, okonomiyaki, and poon choi. In the subject of Japanese sushi, shrimp has long been valued as the "king of sushi-dane", as its composition can be either raw or cooked, and its latter preparation has often been considered a good introduction or choice for those unfamiliar to eating sushi, especially dishes involving raw fish. In North America, fried shrimp is popular, as is jambalaya in the southern States. Shrimp are also found in Latin American and Caribbean dishes such as enchiladas and coconut shrimp. In Europe, prawns and especially langoustines are very popular, forming a necessary ingredient in Italian cacciucco, Portuguese caldeirada, Spanish paella de marisco, and many other seafood dishes. Prawns are also consumed as salad, by frying, with rice, and as shrimp guvec — a dish baked in a clay pot — on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.

Also, shrimps are fermented into shrimp paste and prawn sauce condiments in southeast Asia and China.

Substitutes

Several alternatives have emerged, fostered by environmental and welfare concerns regarding the fishing and farming of shrimps. Plant-based alternatives often have soy or seitan as a main ingredient. They may also use konjac for the texture, and various other ingredients like seaweed.

Marketing

Shrimp are marketed and commercialized with several issues in mind. Most shrimp are sold frozen and marketed based on their categorization of presentation, grading, colour and uniformity.

Prawn dishes

Many various dishes are prepared using shrimp as a primary ingredient. Ebiko, or shrimp roe, sometimes translated as "shrimp flakes", is used as an ingredient in the preparation of sushi. There also exist popcorn shrimp, garlic butter shrimp, and breaded or battered deep-fried small shrimp.

Fraud

Gel-injection adulteration

There is a growing food fraud concern in Asia–Pacific where non-food grade gels are injected into shrimp and prawns to increase their weight and visual appeal. Three grams of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) can be used to make 50 kilograms of gel, which can be used for one tonne of shrimp. In 2022, Cambodia seized 7 tons of shrimp that had been injected with CMC gel.

Laboratory testing

To combat food fraud, NIST offers Standard Reference Materials: Wild-caught Shrimp (RM 8258) and Aquacultured Shrimp (RM 8259) for testing.