Fresh prawns, whether raw or cooked, should smell fresh and clean, not fishy, and should look moist. Avoid any that look dry or that have broken or cracked shells.
If you are buying shell-on prawns, buy double the weight that you would need of shell-off prawns.
Prawns can be bought raw or cooked. They can be used in the same way and in the same kind of dishes, though cooked prawns can be eaten cold as they are. When raw, they are blue-grey in colour (and are sometimes called green prawns).
Tiger or king prawns, which are big and juicy, are the types most commonly sold raw, either whole in their shells, or with their heads removed (if the latter, they are called prawn tails). The North Atlantic prawns are smaller and are also sold raw, usually whole.
When cooked, prawns turn pink. Tiger and king prawns are both available cooked, often with their heads and shells (aside from the very end of the shell) removed. North Atlantic prawns are also sold cooked, either whole or headless; if headless, they tend to be shells-off, too (aside from the very end of the shell).
You can find pink and brown varieties of shrimp, and they are sold ready cooked. Ready-peeled ones are the best to go for, as it's a fiddly job to do.
Once the shell is off, check to see if there is a black line running down the back of the prawn. This is the intestinal tract - if it's black, it's full. It's not harmful to eat, but the prawn looks better without it, and it can be a bit gritty. Removing it is called 'de-veining'.
The quickest and neatest way to de-vein an uncooked prawn is to insert a fine skewer just behind the head, using it to carefully draw out the vein in one piece.
If you are buying shell-on prawns, buy double the weight that you would need of shell-off prawns.
Prawns can be bought raw or cooked. They can be used in the same way and in the same kind of dishes, though cooked prawns can be eaten cold as they are. When raw, they are blue-grey in colour (and are sometimes called green prawns).
Tiger or king prawns, which are big and juicy, are the types most commonly sold raw, either whole in their shells, or with their heads removed (if the latter, they are called prawn tails). The North Atlantic prawns are smaller and are also sold raw, usually whole.
When cooked, prawns turn pink. Tiger and king prawns are both available cooked, often with their heads and shells (aside from the very end of the shell) removed. North Atlantic prawns are also sold cooked, either whole or headless; if headless, they tend to be shells-off, too (aside from the very end of the shell).
You can find pink and brown varieties of shrimp, and they are sold ready cooked. Ready-peeled ones are the best to go for, as it's a fiddly job to do.