Brief description about Prawns, Marketing your Freshwater Prawns Fresh or Frozen and a must try recipe.

1. Prawn is a common name applied to large swimming crustaceans,
particularly in Britain and Commonwealth nations, which may also be
referred to as shrimp. Significant commercial species, valued for their
eating qualities, tend to be large, and thus tend to be called prawns.
Shrimp that fall in this category often belong to the
suborder Dendrobranchiata. The term is only rarely used in North
America, and typically for freshwater shrimp.
Prawns are versatile ingredients, and are often used as an
accompaniment to fried rice. Common methods of preparation
include baking, boiling, frying and grilling. They are as delicate as eggs
in regards cooking time. When they are overcooked, they have a tough
and rubbery texture. Remove them from the heat when they just start
to change color to pink.

2. Butter and Garlic Prawns
Ingredients
Serves: 4 - 6
280g butter
2 tablespoons (30ml) Dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1kg medium raw prawns, peeled with tails attached,
and deveined
Directions
Prep: 15min › Cook: 15min › Ready in: 30min
1. Preheat oven to 230 C.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic and
parsley.
3. When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.
4. Arrange prawns in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the prawns and cook for 12
to 15 minutes or until the prawns are pink and opaque.
Marketing your Freshwater Prawns Fresh or Frozen
Prawns can be sold fresh (chilled) if they are going to be consumed
within 5 (preferably 3) days. The way to ensure that your chilled prawns
are of the best quality has been explained earlier in this manual.
Prawns which are not expected to be sold within 3 days should
immediately be frozen. Freezing should take place when they are fresh,
not after they have been on ice for several days. Frozen tails have a
longer shelf life than whole prawns. Whole frozen freshwater prawns
will turn ‘mushy’ if they are frozen and held above -20°C, or if they are
thawed and refrozen. It is recommended that prawns to be stored for
long periods be held at -30 to -35°C. Tails which are frozen in ice blocks
may be stored for over a year and still be very satisfactory, although a
maximum of six months is recommended. Glazing or vacuum packing
significantly prolongs the useful life of frozen prawns. While vacuum
packing requires elaborate processing facilities, not available to small
farms, glazing is quite simple: a very thin mixture of syrup and water
prevents oxidation. If you are marketing frozen prawns, whether they
are sold whole or as tails, the ideal is to sell them within a three month
period. This can be achieved, if your farm is geared properly to your
market (when and where will the product be required, and in what
quantity). Good record keeping will help you to develop an efficient farm
management system, based on past experience.