Have a cream to light brown body, with legs and tailfin a distinctive bright blue in the Western and cream in the Eastern. Redspot has a distinctive red spot on each side of the body shell.Available wild-caught, these are marine and estuarine-dwelling Prawns, with adults found offshore on a range of bottoms (rock, sand, mud and gravel) to depths of over 220m, and juveniles preferring estuaries or shallow coastal waters.Western have the widest distribution, found around the Australian coast except for NSW, Victoria and Tasmania and mainly trawled at night off SA and WA, but also off NT and Queensland.Eastern are found from Bass Strait east to Rockhampton and are an important fishery off Queensland and NSW, and to a lesser extent Victoria.Redspot are found around the northern Australian coast from Rockhampton to Shark Bay, WA, usually near coral reefs, and are trawled at night, mainly along Queensland’s eastern coast as far north as Cape York.

DIVE DEEPER

COMMERCIAL NAME

King Prawn

Method of Capture

Region

Other names

Blueleg Prawn, Eastern Prawn, Ocean King Prawn, Sand Prawn (Eastern), Western Prawn (Western), Red Spotted Prawn (Redspot).

Scientific Family

Penaeidae (Penaeid Prawns).

Seasonality

Available year round with peaks from February to June. The NT fishery is closed from December to March and again in July.

Size

Commonly 40-50g and 10-21cm body length, with Eastern the largest and Redspot the smallest. Eastern can grow to 30cm.

Price range

High priced, with larger prawns fetching the highest prices and Western and Redspot generally cheaper than Eastern.

Alternative Species

Other Prawns, Bugs, Marron, Redclaw, Rock Lobsters, Yabby.

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

SHOPPING TIPS

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.

STORAGE TIPS

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.

COOKING TIPS

Average yield is 45%. Has a rich flavour, low-medium oiliness moist flesh with a medium-firm 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.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.

Flavour pairings

Butter, chilli, garlic, ginger, herbs, lemon, lime, mayonnaise, olive oil, salad greens, soy sauce, tomato.

IMPORTS

Similar species are imported, mainly from South East Asia. Vannamei Prawns (

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INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chardonnay vinegar Salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 golden shallots, very finely diced Rock salt, for serving
 12 freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters Chervil sprigs, for garnishing

METHOD:
Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir in shallot.