In the USA, what are "shrimp"?

Question

Here in the UK, shrimp (singular) or shrimps (plural) are very small prawns. What precisely do you consider to be "shrimp" in the USA? I imagine that they are what we would call Tiger Prawns or Jumbo Prawns?

Answer 1

From Wikipedia:

"As used in commercial farming and fishery, the terms shrimp and prawns are generally used interchangeably. In European countries, particularly the United Kingdom, the word “prawns” is more commonly on menus than the term “shrimp”, which is used more often in North America. The term “prawn” is also loosely used to describe any large shrimp, especially those that come 15 (or fewer) to the pound (also called “jumbo shrimp”). Australia and other Commonwealth countries follow this European/British use to an even greater extent, using the word “prawn” almost exclusively. (Paul Hogan’s use of the phrase “I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you” in a television advertisement was intended to make what he was saying easier for his American audience to understand, and was thus a deliberate distortion of what an Australian would typically say.) In Spain, gambas al ajillo (translated to prawn pilpil) is a popular dish with both the locals and tourists. Traditionally, gambas al ajillo and other tapas are served in earthenware ramekins or cazuelas de barro in Spanish."

As far as most Americans are concerned, lest we're dining at a 5-star restaurant, "shrimp" is most commonly used at most grocery stores, fish markets and dining establishments, regardless of size.

Answer 2

Robert, with your knowledge, I'm surprised to see this question from you, of all people.......

In the US, we use the term "shrimp" for the whole gamut of crustaceans that are smaller than lobster.....we also use the oxymoron "jumbo shrimp" erroneously..........So, we have a "sizing" method that we commonly use, depending on what part of the country you're in......

U-10 (U=under) meaning 10 or less to the pound

15-20 means just that, 15-20 to the pound......and so forth.....

75-110 are the tiny guys, that you'd use for, say, shrimp paste, they are also called "salad shrimp", usually cooked and ready to be tossed into a salad (you don't even have to defrost them!!! just toss 'em in!!)

Some parts of the country use the term "prawns" just to make the shrimp sound like they're something special, a ploy used by restaurants to raise the price on the menu (making them sound like gold).....When in parlance, we usually would say something like "I got some big/huge/jumbo/colossal shrimp today at the store"......So, a shrimp is a shrimp here in the US........Enjoy!!!

Christopher

Answer 3

Even though they are slightly different, in the US shrimp includes prawns, regardless of size. Sometimes, larger shrimp are sold as prawns and the smaller ones are labeled as shrimp. I don't think there is a major difference between the US and UK.

Answer 4

The supply of local shrimp has dwindled to amounts that only a handful of restaurants and stores can get. Most shrimp eaten in the United States comes from China, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Taiwan, Ecuador, Mexico and other Asian and Latin American countries, as well as Australia. About 65 percent originates in Asia.
Yet most guides to sustainable seafood consumption advise against buying imported shrimp because the way these are farmed or caught is generally destructive to the environment. They're listed in the red, or "avoid," column of the much-used Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch consumer publication.
The aquarium puts trap-caught shrimp, such as spot prawns, in its green "best choice" column. U.S. farmed or trawl-caught shrimp are in the yellow "good alternatives" column, the second-best choice after the spot prawns.

Here is a site you can check out:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/13/FDGFOC461B1.DTL

Answer 5

In the US, shrimp covers the range from small "popcorn" shrimp up through jumbo prawns - though people here do use "prawns" to say what they want.

Answer 6

Shrimp is shrimp, than you have jumbo shrimp and a prawn is a bigger than jumbo, shrimp.

Answer 7

they are any type of prawns i guess. (example: jumbo prawns are big shrimp.) i never really thought about it.

Answer 8

All of the above, I imagine. I detest shrimp, shrimps/ or anything else you might like to call them. They remind me of eating grubs.

Answer 9

a shrimp is a short guy or boy.

Answer 10

dinner or a good snack