Prawns

Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exosceleton and ten legs. Crustaceans are seafood products that are very popular in the kitchen, and especially prawns and gambas. These are large shellfish from the same shrimp family that is highly concentrated in protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, B vitamins, and minerals. Gamba is a real asset, for its flavors, but especially for its nutritional values.

Health benefits

Some amino acids are only provided by the diet. These are the essential amino acids and they are 9. It is an interesting source for these amino acids that it contains in full. They act as proteins within the digestive system, acting on hormones, digestive enzymes, and tissues. Thanks to these proteins, which most crustaceans and fish contain in large quantities, hair, nails, bones, and skin are in good health.

They are particularly rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-3. These fatty acids have an effect on the preservation of the cardiovascular system. It is interesting to introduce prawns in its diet. Omega-3s are also beneficial for fighting inflammation. Consumption of prawns is therefore recommended in the context of pathologies such as psoriasis, asthma or rheumatoid arthritis. While crustaceans have certain health benefits, prawns should not be favored over other omega-3 sources, such as salmon or rapeseed oil.

Indeed, prawns contain bad cholesterol that can increase blood pressure and cause hypertension. Vacuum prawns are also a great source of sodium that has the same effect on hypertension. The prawns are concentrated in uric acid, which is dangerous for people suffering from gout.

Buying tips

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 them shell-on, buy double the weight that you would need of shell-off prawns.

They 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 color.

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, they 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.