Identify this crustacean, please?

[markk]

The server said they were referring to it as a "prawn" though he knew that wasn't correct. Does anybody know the name of the beast that's sitting atop this rib steak?

Thanks.

[nonblonde007]

WOW! That looks fantastic! What was it's taste and texture?

[Jensen]

It looks like a prawn to me. Okay, a prawn that took a lot of growth hormones but still a prawn...

[John S.]

Looks like a spot prawn. It was good, right?

Edited July 10, 2007 by John S. (log)

[rooftop1000]

Who cares what it is where do they serve 'em?

tracey

[annecros]

My best guess:

Illegally young Florida Lobster. There's no way that would measure if it is, in fact.

You didn't say where you were dining.

Jail bait?

[markk]

It was extremely delicious - it had a fabulous flavor (brought out by having been grilled to perfection with the head on), and it had the texture of perfectly cooked lobster.

It actually was served to us at Timo Restaurant in Sunny Isles, Florida, but I do not think that it's a local item. The steak under it was wood grilled, and the sauce was a concoction with truffle and a bit of foie gras, and it was a winning combination - one that was not on the menu, but offered by our waiter when we couldn't decide between the steak or the "prawn" risotto.

[Qwerty]

I vote for a langoustine AKA Norway lobster.

[Reefpimp]

Don't quote me or place a bet on it, but I'm pretty sure what you had was a Langoustine.

Wikipedia entry for the critter. Interestingly, "langoustine" is French for "Prawn."

Funny how the language evolves, huh?

*edit* And so Qwerty robs me of my chance to be a know-it-all by just keeping it simple. Bravo, I say. Bravo! *end-edit*

Edited July 10, 2007 by Reefpimp (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Langoustines have claws, and they're usually presented with them still attached. Langoustines also have a proportionately smaller body in comparison to the tail, and the tail is flared.

I think what you've got there is just a nice big shrimp -- a 10-15, most likely, which I've often seen in Florida fish markets. Since shrimps aren't usually sent out with the head on, the size is deceptive. But mentally remove the head, and you've got a tail that's about 2-1/2 to three inches -- a great size for grilling.

[Sam Salmon]

It's a large farmed Tiger Prawn from SE Asia-at least the ones we see here are from SE Asia.

100% farmed product and rather bland/tasteless compared to local our product.

[maher]

It's a large farmed Tiger Prawn from SE Asia-at least the ones we see here are from SE Asia.

100% farmed product and rather bland/tasteless compared to local our product.

←

definitely that. there are lots of farms in SE Asia, Indonesia especially that are producing massive sized prawns. the two biggest problems with them are that they have a massive head relative to the tail, so you get proportionately less edible meat per lb, and that they tend to be blander/mushier textured than other types of shrimp or langoustines for that matter.

[andrewB]

It's a large farmed Tiger Prawn from SE Asia-at least the ones we see here are from SE Asia.

100% farmed product and rather bland/tasteless compared to local our product.

←

definitely that. there are lots of farms in SE Asia, Indonesia especially that are producing massive sized prawns. the two biggest problems with them are that they have a massive head relative to the tail, so you get proportionately less edible meat per lb, and that they tend to be blander/mushier textured than other types of shrimp or langoustines for that matter.

←

you can get prawns now which are size 1/2 which would run even bigger than that and can be up to 450g.

[hummingbirdkiss]

good grief I am hungry!!!

I call those prawns ..well giant prawns!...but I am so confused about this subject and swear one day I will figure it all out myself!.

when I moved out to the Seattle area I realized what I called a "shrimp" was a "prawn" here

a "shrimp" here would be the tiny <1 inch sized ones...

way off topic

of course what I grew up thinking was a "steamer" clam...grows here sometimes over 5lbs and is called a geoduck!

so what do I know anyway?

[Adam Balic]

Definately not a young lobster or a Langoustine/Scampi/Dublin Bay Prawn.

As mentioned above it is most likely a farmed tiger prawn, in Scotland some of the local fishmongers marketed them as "gambas". A commonly farmed prawn, the Black Tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) can grow up to 35 cm in length. When caught wild they are often called "leader prawns" as they are found associated with great numbers of lesser sized species (such as Fenneropenaeus spp.), the low numbers of the Tigers, along with their much greater size lead people to suggest that they were in charge of the others........