You may want to learn about different types of shrimp, whether to have them for your next meal or not. I think it’s always interesting to know about the differences between them to open your mind and be amazed by their unique characteristics.
Shrimp are a familiar type of crustaceans that you all may have known and eaten before. The taste of shrimp may remind you of the delicious flavor of lobster, but it may be a little bit different. Come and learn more facts about this amazing ocean creature!
The Primary Differences Between Shrimps And Prawns
Some people may not know how to differentiate between shrimps and prawns since they look identical to each other. They have the same popularity around the world and can be interchangeably used in many recipes. However, they still include some differences to tell!
Both shrimps and prawns belong to the “decapod” order, which means they both have ten legs. The point is that they are from different suborders in the decapods.
Shrimps are actually the suborder of pleocyemata, together with crabs or lobsters, while prawns are a member of dendrobranchiate suborder. Besides this scientific fact, you may also tell them apart by observing their bodies.
Shrimp typically consists of a sharp bent body form, while the body of prawns doesn’t bend that much. Another focal point is their legs. Shrimp will have one pair of legs longer than the other legs, whereas prawns include 3 pairs of those legs.
7 Wonderful Types Of To-Eat Shrimp For Culinary Purposes
You may be curious about the name of the available shrimps in your dish. This section includes different popular types of shrimps that are regularly used in cooking.
1. Brown Shrimp
Brown shrimp consists of a brown-red shell with a gray tone and tender meat. It tastes flavorful with a wide range of flavors, from mildly sweet to light salty. This heavy mineral flavor is one of the unique points of this type of shrimp, which distinguishes it from other types.
The chefs prefer to steam or boil the brown shrimps without adding any additives to keep the delectable natural flavors from the ocean. It can also be a perfect ingredient in fried rice, broth, and dumplings.
Let’s make a scrumptious salad dish with some brown shrimps!
2. White Shrimp
White shrimp is a favorite type of the chefs for its firm, crunchy texture with sweet, versatile flavor and easy-to-clean characteristic. It is about 6 to 8 inches long. Its color will slightly turn from white to a yellowish hue when you cook it.
You can use white shrimp to make the most scrumptious dinner ever for your family! You can always add it to pasta, fries, or salads. This type of shrimp consists of three main species: Gulf White, Chinese White, and Pacific White Shrimps.
3. Pink Shrimp
Pink shrimp is one of the most famous types of shrimp that you can find in any market. It usually appears on the west coast of Florida. The raw pink shrimp will have pink or sometimes white and gray shades. It is super wholesome with high protein content.
You may find pink shrimp tender in texture and mildly sweet in flavor. It is relatively tiny; therefore, people often add fresh or leftover shrimps in recipes calling for them, such as salads, omelets, or appetizers. You can also boil it to serve with some sauces.
4. Rock Shrimp
Rock shrimp consists of a rock-hard shell, hence its name. Many people mistake this shrimp for lobsters for its appearance, size, and even taste. The texture of rock shrimp is firm and hard. Despite its size, this shrimp type tastes as delicious as any other type!
You can boil, steam, fry, bake or grill rock shrimp or do whatever you want to cook it. This type of shrimp is so versatile that it can show up in many dishes like risotto, pasta, curries, and fries. It has a high protein content that is really good for your health.
The shell of rock shrimp is so tough that it’s complicated to take off without using the specialized gadget. Therefore, people tend to deshell it before selling it at the market. The raw rock shrimp with skin on is perfect for grilling.
How about making a mouthwatering dish from rock shrimp for your family?
5. Spot Shrimp
Spot shrimp resembles lobster for its shade and jumbo shape. People even call it the “Lobsters of Alaska” with special flavors and super soft, juicy texture! It is one of the most tender shrimps for culinary purposes, but it is hard to clean because of the fragile shell.
Spot shrimp can reach from 8 to 12 inches in length and is ideal for deep-frying. Cooked spot shrimp will melt right onto your tongue. It is truly easy to consume for people of all ages.
These shrimps are also perfect to use in recreating recipes of the Red Lobster restaurant if you are so into their dishes. Have one bite, and you’ll be amazed by how delicious the shrimp is.
6. Tiger Shrimp
Tiger shrimp is about 10 to 12 inches in size and thereby one of the largest shrimp species. Its name is derived from the tiger stripes on the shell. If you are a beginner in cooking shrimps, you may want to cook tiger shrimp for its versatile characteristics.
Tiger shrimp includes a firm texture and mild taste that is perfect for grilling and steaming. You may find this species mainly in Thailand, the Philippines, India, and Vietnam. It is available in both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp.
7. Royal Red Shrimp
Royal Red shrimp appears in bright deep red with a rich and salty-sweet flavor. Its meat is really buttery and tender, which is ideal for boiling and steaming. You may find that it tastes exactly like scallops or lobsters!
However, this type of shrimp is more tender than its brethren, so you should avoid overcooking them. Ideally, don’t cook Royal Red shrimp for too long.
11 Other Extraordinary Types Of Shrimps For Other Purposes
There are also some spectacular types of shrimp that are rarely used for culinary purposes, but other purposes like decorating for your aquarium tanks. Here are the characteristics and how you can deal with these shrimp types.
8. Blue Tiger Shrimp
Blue Tiger shrimp is a blue species of the Caridina cantonensis family. The mature shrimps are about 1 to 1.5 inches long. There are many blue stripes on their skin with attractive orange eyes.
If you want to farm this type of shrimp, you may need to clean its tank every week and keep the pH level at about 6 pH for a proper acidic environment. It also requires a suitable diet such as plant and meat-based food.
Keep in mind that you should not overfeed blue tiger shrimp with too much supplement foods because they will increase the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank, which is super dangerous for the shrimps.
9. Bumblebee Shrimp (Striped Harlequin)
Bumblebee shrimp gets its name from the special appearance with yellow or white skin and black stripes or dots, which resembles a bumblebee. This type of shrimp originates from Southern China and is a part of the Caridina breviate family.
This shrimp species likes to eat meat-based shrimp food. The most ideal food for them is usually tiny fish pieces. You should keep these shrimps in pairs and regularly check the amount of nitrites, copper, and iodine in water.
Bumblebees are really tiny and can easily be harmed by others. Make sure that there are no large fishes in the tank so that they won’t eat the bumblebee shrimps.
10. Red Cherry Shrimp
Red Cherry shrimp has a beautiful bright red shade that attracts many aquarists. It thrives on proper water conditions, which is at room temperature or at about 18 to 28oC. You also need a bio filter to create a sufficiently hygienic environment for the shrimp.
Red Cherry shrimp really like to eat both plant-based and meat-based foods like algae and leftover foods from other fish. Sometimes, you can feed it pellets as a supplemental diet, especially when there are no other species in the tank.
You can see this video to know more:
11. Blue Bolt Shrimp
Blue Bolt shrimp is another member of the Caridina cantonensis family. This type of shrimp originates from Southern China with a special appearance. Its head and body are covered with a bright blue shade that may turn to creamy or pale blue near the tail.
The gorgeous blue color of Blue Bolt shrimp is what makes it stand out from other shrimp species. You can effortlessly recognize it in the colorful backgrounds with plants and pebbles in the tank.
If you want to purchase them, you should find these Blue Bolt shrimps online since they are usually not commercially sold at many fish shops. They may require some special care conditions and proper feeding to healthily flourish in the tank.
12. Crystal Shrimp
Crystal shrimp is a shrimp species with two variants: Crystal Black and Crystal Red shrimp. It is a sibling of Bee shrimp, which people usually use for decorative reasons. Its two versions are similar in most parts, except for the color and patterns.
This type of shrimp needs a high water purity to perfectly flourish. You should also properly arrange the items in the tank so that they create the hiding places for these Crystal shrimps since they aren’t likely to swim in an exposed environment.
Like the Bumblebee shrimps, Crystal shrimps also easily become the prey of larger creatures or fish species in a larger environment. If you get it in a community tank, make sure that Crystal shrimps have nothing to do with other species in the tank.
13. Snowball Shrimp
Snowball shrimp is the favorite type of shrimp with small white visible eggs. You can grow this type of shrimp with a large amount in the tank having clean water at a pH of 6.5 – 8.0. You may feed snowball shrimp with almost anything, and its preferred food will be algae.
One more important thing to notice about growing Snowball shrimp is that you must not overfeed it in the tank, or else the water quality will reduce and cause health problems to the shrimps. Also, both hard and soft water conditions are acceptable for this shrimp species.
14. Glass Shrimp (Ghost Shrimp)
Glass shrimp, also called Ghost shrimp, is a member of the Palaemonetes family. The see-through body easily hides it away from those dangerous predators. Therefore, you may not have to worry when keeping them together with other species in the same environment.
Glass shrimp is especially suitable for a community tank for its special characteristic of cleaning the living water by eating the leftover foods and algae patches left in the tank. It can live up to one year in almost any tank with large or small capacity.
This Ghost shrimp is also omnivorous and can consume almost anything from plant-based to meat-based foods. It is about one and a half inches in size when it is fully mature. Like Crystal shrimp, this species is also into hiding, so remember to get some decorations in the tank!
15. Black King Kong Panda Shrimp
When you look at Black King Kong Panda shrimp, you may find the reason for its name with black and white stripes – the two signature colors of pandas! This lovely tiny friend is not easy to deal with, especially for beginners, since it is super sensitive to water changes.
Black King Kong Panda shrimp belong to the Caridina cantonensis family. If you really want to grow it, keep in mind that you should house it in a large container to easily control the water fluctuations.
Furthermore, Black King Kong Panda shrimp can only consume plant-based food. You should try not to overfeed these small shrimp. Excess food can disintegrate and lead to infections or parasites that can kill your shrimp.
See how these Black King Kong Panda shrimp look like in an aquarium tank!
16. Amano Shrimp
If you’re assembling your first shrimp tank, I suggest choosing Amano shrimp. It is a great option for beginners with little experience in adjusting the water conditions. This type of shrimp is easy to care for: you just need to keep it safe from other species and feed it with algae.
Amano shrimp is about 2 to 3 inches long when mature, which is pretty large compared to other shrimp types. Therefore, it will surely be an outstanding creature to cheer up your aquarium tank!
17. Caridina Babaulti Shrimp
This Caridina Babaulti shrimp consists of a wide range of colors. You may find it in brown, green, red, yellow, or even in black and white like zebra patterns. If you want to add more shades to your aquarium tank, consider purchasing Caridina Babaulti shrimp!
Caridina Babaulti shrimp is really easy to keep in a personal tank and can eat almost anything since it is an omnivorous species. However, it may prefer consuming decaying plants in the tank to meat-based food that you give.
18. Sulawesi Shrimp (Cardinal Shrimp)
Sulawesi shrimp, or Cardinal shrimp, gets the name from its origin – the lakes of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It’s difficult to look after this picky shrimp variety unless you have some experience with adjusting the tank conditions.
Like many other shrimp species, Sulawesi shrimp can also eat both plant-based and meaty food types. However, you should know that its favorite food is algae. If you do it well, this shrimp can produce offspring when it gets used to the environmental conditions.
4 Special Recipes With Shrimps To Blow Your Mind
You can always make delicious dishes with edible shrimp. The recipes below are some of the best recipes calling for shrimps ever. They are all easy to do with simple ingredients and instructions. Try to make these dishes if you don’t know what to serve tonight!
Cajun Shrimp Mac And Cheese
You may find Cajun Shrimp Mac And Cheese one of the most outstanding cajun recipes ever! It is a wonderful combo of shrimps with the creamy baked mac and cheese. You’ll surely fall in love with this dish at first bite!
Fried Coconut Shrimp
These fried coconut shrimps are super crunchy and mouthwatering! You can serve coconut shrimp with any side dishes you like, especially the special sauces that you can mix by your preference. It is a promising snack for movie nights!
Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
How about a scrumptious pasta dish? I’m pretty sure that this Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta will be irresistible to all of your family members. You can quickly prepare this dish for a convenient yet tasty dinner. The creamy and savory flavors will never disappoint you!
Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta is super easy to make with this instruction!
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
Don’t know what to serve at your buffet party? Consider Mexican Shrimp Cocktail! It is super easy to make with available ingredients in your kitchen. This looks like a whole colorful and flavorful salad dish inside a wine glass, an amazing appearance that will charm your guests.
So, Have You Known Everything About Shrimps Yet?
That’s all I can provide you about different types of shrimp, both for your meals and your tanks. I hope that you feel satisfied with the information you receive from this article. These shrimps will be in their best conditions when treated properly with appropriate methods.
Like and share this article if you want to provide your family and friends with interesting information about this lovely creature. If you have any questions in mind, don’t hesitate to leave me some words in the comment section. See you soon!
