Tiger Prawn

Tiger Prawn

tiger prawn

 

When Caught

Black tiger prawn: harvested year round from farms (rarely caught in the wild)

Brown & grooved tiger prawns: caught year round, with peak supplies from February through May. The fisheries are closed in the Northern Territory from December through March as

Important Features

Wild/Farmed Wild and Farmed

Habitat Saltwater

Recovery Rate Meat (deveined): 44% of total weight, Meat (not deveined): 46% of total weight

Headless shell on: 64% of total weight

Remarks

Larger tiger prawns are particularly sought after for Japanese cuisine.

Imports South-east Asia: various products (mostly black tiger prawn and mostly frozen) including uncooked and cooked, head on and head off, cutlets, and crumbed

Common Size 17 to 18 cm body length

Overseas Names

USA: brown tiger prawn

Alternatives banana prawn, bug, Endeavour prawn, king prawn, freshwater crayfish, school prawn

Grading Grading can vary by supplier and region.

Nutrition Facts

per 100g of raw product

Kilojoules 399 (95 Calories)
Cholesterol 121 mg
Sodium 185 mg
Total fat (oil) 0.8 g
Saturated fat 36% of total fat
Monounsaturated fat 23% of total fat
Polyunsaturated fat 41% of total fat
Omega-3, EPA 39 mg
Omega-3, DHA 49 mg
Omega-6, AA 45 mg

Data presented are for black tiger prawn.

Cooking Ideas

    Deep Fry
Grill/barbecue Poach Raw
     
Shallow Fry   Steam/microwave

Tiger prawns are large and flavoursome. Their majestic red striping makes for impressive presentation and they are often the choice of top hotels and restaurants.

Grilling, barbecuing or flambÈing tiger prawns in their shell are among the most popular cooking methods, as are pan- and deep frying. It is important to note that prawns cook quickly and that overcooking may cause the flesh to become tough. When cooking, add them to the heat as late as possible.

Tiger prawns are popular as garlic prawns. Their flavour will be enhanced by marinating in olive oil, lemon juice and lashings of garlic for one hour to tenderise and par-cook the flesh.

For a spectacular dish, flambÈ these prawns with Australian liqueur brandy and add the juice and zest of orange.

Flavour Medium

Oiliness Low to Medium

Moisture Moist

Texture Medium to Firm

Flesh Colour Translucent when raw and white to pink with pinkish bands when cooked. Farmed prawns are more distinctly marked than wild prawns and exhibit a bright red colouration when cooked.

Price Tiger prawns are high-priced prawns. Price depends upon grade larger tiger prawns are higher priced than smaller tiger prawns.

Edibility Flesh and roe

Head sections are eaten in Asian dishes but for the purposes of food safety are best avoided.

Suggested Wines

A zesty and youthful sauvignon blanc is a perfect accompaniment for garlic prawns because it tames down the natural prawn oiliness and the contribution from butter or cooking oils.

Try some of the racy and understated sauvignon blancs from Margaret River, or those ever-so-elegant sauvignon blancsemillon blends from the south-west of Western Australia.