Species
Prawns

Description

Available both wild-caught and farmed, these are mostly marine dwelling prawns with juveniles sometimes found in sheltered estuaries and rivers, usually among mangroves. They are found over muddy and sandy bottoms in coastal waters to depths of 90m (redlegs preferring slightly deeper water than whites).

Found around the northern coast of Australia from the NSW-Queensland border to Shark Bay in WA, they are mainly caught by trawlers between Exemouth Gulf, WA and Brisbane, with the bulk of the catch coming from the Gulf of Carpentaria.

They are translucent to yellow in colour with tiny dark spots. The 2 species differ in leg colour: whites have cream to yellow legs and redlegs have pink or red legs.

Other Names

Indian Banana Prawn (Redleg), Gulf Banana Prawn, White Prawn (White).

Family

Penaeidae (Penaeid Prawns).

Season

Available year round with peak supply in April. 

Size and Weight

Commonly 20-30g and 14-17cm body length, but can grow to 75g and 25cm. Redlegs are slightly smaller than whites.

Price

Medium priced.

Relations

Other Penaeidae prawns, such as King and Tiger prawns.

To Buy

Look for brightly coloured, firm, intact, lustrous shells, without any discolouration, particularly at joints, and a pleasant fresh sea smell. Prawns are highly perishable in their raw state and so are often frozen or boiled at sea as soon as they are caught.

If cooking with prawns, buy green (raw) prawns, as cooked prawns will toughen if reheated.

To Store

Leave prawns in their shells until just before using and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months below -18ºC. Once thawed, frozen prawns should not be refrozen.

To Cook

Average yield is 45%. Has a sweet, mild flavour, low to medium oiliness and moist flesh with a medium texture. Flesh is translucent when raw and white with pinkish bands when cooked.

After removing the head from a fresh green prawn, hold the prawn straight and gently pull the end of the digestive tract (from the head end), it will usually come out in one go. If it breaks off, use a thin skewer to hook it out from the back, or make a small incision along the back and remove it.

In cooked prawns, cut the back open to remove the digestive tract.

Cooking Methods

Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, grill, barbecue. The firm flesh holds together well in soups and curries and threaded on skewers for kebabs.

Like all seafood, prawns require very little cooking. It is always better to undercook, rather than overcook, them, as they will continue to cook in the residual heat once they are removed from the pan.

Banana prawns are most commonly used in hot dishes rather than bought cooked and served cold.