Fish
Cold Water Prawn
A tier
Cold water prawn refers to small northern shrimp from Arctic and subarctic seas—chiefly Pandalus species—cooked and often peeled at sea or in shore plants, then frozen. The meat is tiny, coral-pink, and intensely sweet with a clean marine finish quite different from large tropical farmed prawns. Salad shrimp and open-faced sandwich toppings rely on this style. Use thawed and drained for prawn mayonnaise, avocado cocktails, pizza finishes, and Nordic smørrebrød. They are usually already cooked; only warm gently if a hot dish needs them, or serve cold. Overheating turns them cottony. Quality shows in tight curls, bright colour, and absence of freezer burn.
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Norwegian and North Atlantic fleets developed industrial cook-and-peel lines for cold-water prawns.
Canadian Atlantic plants expanded frozen cold-water prawn packs for export.
Greenlandic and Arctic fisheries became major sources of small sweet prawns.
MSC-certified cold-water prawn fisheries marketed sweetness and sustainability to Europe.