on Nov 18, 2017, Updated Aug 25, 2020 To be honest, there is no regulation around guidelines for how to measure prawn sizes or a standard sizing for prawns (shrimp). But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything new to know. While buying prawns, you will often see prawns being segregated into jumbo, large, medium and small. Then there are also colossal prawns which are rare to find but extremely juicy. If we just focus on the more common varieties of prawns, the names easily give you an idea of sizes. But what’s important to know is that the terminology of prawn sizes is determined by how many prawns you can buy per kilogram or pound. There is actually an inverse relationship between the number of pieces and the price you pay for them. This basically means that if a pack has fewer numbers, its price will be higher because you’ll be buying larger sized prawns. Understanding this, and how you can use each size of prawn will help you determine what to buy and how best to use it. I’ve partnered with ITC Master Chef Prawns to understand what goes into determining different prawn sizes and based on my understanding, each prawn is segregated into different sizes based on their weightage.
Here’s a quick overview of how these prawn sizes are determined:
Jumbo Prawns: The jumbo prawns are large in size, and each pack of 200 grams will have approximately 10-11 prawns. This variety should always be treated as the hero of the dish because of their size and flavor. These are best for grilling, in salads or in other preparations where you can leave them whole. I also love adding them to curries when I want to serve a prawn dish which will make guests go wow. You can also butterfly them easily and they will hold their shape after cooking. Jumbo Prawns take anywhere between 8-10 minutes to cook. Here are some recipes you can try:
Goan Prawn Curry with CoconutThe Best Tandoori Prawns
Super Large Prawns: These prawns are super large in size too, but slightly smaller than the jumbo+. Each pack of 200 grams contains approximately 12-14 pieces. They are perfect for tandoors, barbecues or even served cold with a dipping sauce or in a salad. I love cooking with these because they hold their shape in whatever dish they are used in. Super Large Prawns take about 8-9 minutes to cook. Here are some recipes you can try: Cucumber Noodle Prawn and Mango Salad (Gluten Free) Large Prawns: Large Prawns are perfect when used in curries, stir fries, pasta dishes and salads. Once cooked, the size is large enough for a hearty bite, but not small enough to disappear in the dish. Each pack of 200 grams contains approximately 17-22 pieces. Large Prawns can cook in about 6-8 minutes. Here are some recipes you can try:
Mexican Prawn Avocado Taco SaladShrimp Spaghetti Aglio OlioThai Shrimp Cakes
Medium Prawns: If you asked me the perfect size for a fried rice, I’d say it’s medium prawns. Medium Prawns are larger in size than small prawns which can shrink to a tiny size once they are cooked. Medium Prawns are perfect for noodles, fried rice and a lot of Asian dishes, and curries because they blend in easily. Each pack of 200 grams contains approximately 35-45 pieces and these prawns are cooked in about 5-6 minutes. Here are some recipes you can try: Shrimp Chow Mein Learning how to determine prawn sizes is important so that you can choose the right kind of prawn (shrimp) for your cooking and get the maximum flavour and texture from them. Prawn or shrimp is one of the easiest variety of seafood to cook with because of how fast they can cook and the flavour they pack in. I always recommend frozen varieties of prawns like ITC Master Chef’s super safe prawns when it comes to cooking with prawns to make sure you have the freshest and the safest. Thanks to ITC Master Chef for sponsoring this post and bringing us super safe frozen prawns. ITC Master Chef Prawns are available across stores in Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bangalore.
