‘prawn’ to mean prawn…or shrimp.  What it boils down to is what really are the differences in them.

Technically, there is a difference. It’s mostly a biological difference. They are different species and they also have different gill structures. As far as we cooks are concerned, yes, there is a mild difference in taste.

Shrimp are saltwater dwellers found in warm waters as well as cold waters. A lot of the shrimp we eat is raised in a pond…also known as farm raised shrimp. Generally speaking,though, no matter where they are raised, the colder the water, the smaller the shrimp.

Shrimp are packaged and sold according to their size, most usually. You will see a numbering scheme on the bag that says something like "10-12" or "15-20", which indicates how many shrimp it will take to make a pound. There is also a ‘mini-shrimp’ that is most often used in salads. Takes about one of them to make up a pound.

Though both prawns and shrimp are crustaceans, the prawn more closely resembles a small lobster and has sweet, delicious meat. Here are some other things that are prawns that go by different names; langoustines — both French and Spanish — are prawns. As is the Caribbean lobsterette. There is also a little fella known as the Italian scampi that is a prawn. It has nothing to do with shrimp scampi, though.

While it is very common to substitute one for the other in most shrimp recipes, I still prefer to call them what they really are. Of course, you should feel free to do whatever you’d like, but my preference is to say what I mean as often as possible to avoid confusion.

If you are interested in the biological differences in the two creatures, there are a few, but the main difference is in their gill structure and the size of their legs.

They are both, however, decapod crustaceans. They are 10-legged and have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies (exoskeletons). Another thing they have in common is that they both [prefer to stay close to the bottom of the ocean.

Will they both work in a shrimp salad recipe, for instance? Or most other shrimp recipes? Sure. Unless YOU decide differently.

So, there you have a discussion of the difference between the two. Any facts you would like entered int he record? Feel free to comment below.

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Ingredients

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

Cook your shrimp in a medium saucepan. Bring a couple of cups of water to the boil. Add unpeeled shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes… or until the shrimp are pink.  Drain then allow shrimp to cool. Throw them in ice to speed things along and stop the cooking even faster.  After they have cooled, remove the shells and devein the shrimp.

After mixing the first four ingredients in a fairly decent sized bowl – give yourself room to work — add cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp. Toss to coat with the mixture. Put them in the fridge for about a half  an hour before you serve.

With this basic recipe, you now have at least three easy ways to go…

1. Make a bed of cool, crisp lettuce – you choose which kind, but our family likes romaine – on a cold plate.

2. Put the mixture on the greens and enjoy.

3. Shrimp Salad Sandwich? Don’t knock it. TRY it!  Just put the assembled salad on a nice croissant or a fresh sandwich roll. Now you have a portable shrimp salad! (Didn’t even know you needed one, did you?)

When tomatoes are in season, , stuff the mixture in a tomato that has recently left a garden near you.

Here are some more ideas for variations on the theme…

• Asian Shrimp Citrus Salad
• Shrimp Salad with Red Onion, Mango and Cilantro
• Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
• Pickled Shrimp Salad
• Thai Shrimp Salad
• Shrimp Curry Salad
• Shrimp Salad with Chow Mein Noodles

Try these shrimp dishes and let us know which you liked best. I would also be interested to hear about any variations and adjustments you made that were particularly satisfying.

Do you have a shrimp salad recipe that you think we should include on the site, just let us know.  Same with any other shrimp recipes! We want to be the best shrimp recipe resource you can find.