Buying Prawns
What's Available
Spencer Gulf King Prawns are caught and processed on board state of the art, modern vessels. They are graded, packed and snap frozen on board within minutes of being caught. Spencer Gulf King Prawns can also be cooked on board vessels after grading, depending on the time of year. Damaged prawns are also packed and frozen and are available at a reduced price. Prawns are graded by the pound, packed by the carton and sold by the kilogram!
What to look for
When buying prawns there are several considerations. Firstly, see that they have all of their legs, feelers and eyes in tact and that the tail has a firm spring when curled. They should have a clean, crisp iodine aroma with no signs of ammonia, old fish or brakish water. It should feel firm in texture and when you taste the meat it should be immediately sweet, with a long clean finish, no strong after taste.
Grades
To help you to understand grades and what you should expect to receive from retailers, check out the size information below (use this as a guide only):
* Soft and broken (damaged)
** Whole prawns, not shelled
Don’t be afraid to buy frozen prawns. The integrity and quality of prawns snap frozen within an hour of being caught will always be superior to prawns that have endured days of variable handling in a fresh state.
Does size matter?
Whilst the size of the larger prawns may be impressive, it’s not the size that always counts. Many consumers prefer medium sized prawns for peeling and eating straight out of the shell. Medium-Large prawns are good in exotic dishes. And Extra-Extra Large are fantastic to share with a few friends. Whatever your preference, King Prawns are rich in Omega-3, offering consumers many health benefits while enjoying their sweet rich and zesty flavour and firm crisp texture.