King Prawn

Where Caught

Found
Found and caught

Map of Australia showing where King Prawn are found and caught.

When Caught

Year round, with peak supply from February through June. The king prawn fishery is closed from December through March and again in July in the Northern Territory. Various trawl fishery closures occur in Queensland in spring and summer.

Important Features

Wild/Farmed: Wild
Habitat: Saltwater and estuarine

King Prawn Research

FRDC provides a comprehensive search of the latest research papers and images on King Prawn

Remarks

With their fairly clear tannish shell and blue tail ends, king prawns present well raw or cooked. The redspot king prawn is easily recognised by the red spot on the third tail segment.

Large ocean king (L.O.K.) prawns (eastern king prawns) command high prices.

Imports

South-east Asia:: similar species

Common Size

10 16 cm body length

Overseas Names

J: futomizu ebi

Alternatives

banana prawn, bug, Endeavour prawn, tiger prawn, freshwater crayfish, school prawn

King Prawn Melicertus latisulcatus

Photograph by Arnold Baker

Nutrition Facts

per 100g of raw product

Kilojoules	371* (88* Calories)
Cholesterol	137 mg
Sodium	349* mg
Total fat (oil)	0.9 g
Saturated fat	31% of total fat
Monounsaturated fat	24% of total fat
Polyunsaturated fat	45% of total fat
Omega-3, EPA	41 mg
Omega-3, DHA	95 mg
Omega-6, AA	41 mg

Data presented are for eastern king prawn.*unconfirmed identification

Cooking Ideas

Bake	Boil	Deep Fry
Grill/barbecue	Poach	Raw
Roe	Roe & Milk	Salted
Shallow Fry	Smoke	Steam/microwave

Note: Cooking Ideas identified by dark bold text are relevant to this species

King prawns are the most popular species of prawn in Australia, due no doubt to their rich flavour and moist flesh. They are extremely versatile and excellent for display purposes. Suggested coatings include batters (regular or tempura) with a touch of saffron. Crumbs made from brioche make a good match with the sweetness of the prawns. Blend in saffron, turmeric, cumin or ground coriander for added flavour

Cook the prawn in the shell as this will keep the juices and flavour inside. It can however make the prawn messy to eat and impossible to devein prior to serving. If the prawn is cleaned first, leave the tail tip and head on for good presentation.

If curried prawns are on the menu, use a light style of curry with coconut milk so as not to overpower the flavour of the prawn. Prawn cocktail is always popular and can be made more exotic by adding mango or fresh citrus fruits and light dressings or mayonnaise.

Appropriate sauces and accom-paniments for king prawns include chilli, coriander, citrus, garlic, curry (light), ginger, tropical fruits, burnt butters, basil (pesto), mayonnaise and vinaigrettes.

Flavour: Medium
Oiliness: Low to Medium
Moisture: Moist
Texture: Medium to Firm
Flesh Colour: Translucent when raw and white with pinkish bands when cooked
Price: King prawns are high-priced prawns. Price depends on grade. Large prawns (U-10s) are higher-priced than small prawns (21 30s). Western and redspot king prawns are often cheaper than eastern king prawns, as they are more commonly sold frozen.
Edibility: Flesh and roe. The head and shell are also eaten in many Asian dishes.

Suggested Wines

With deep fried prawns, where the traditional accompaniment is may-onnaise-based such as tartare sauce, select moderately robust white wines with substantial acidities to balance the residual oiliness and egg solids from the mayonnaise.Try young Hunter Valley semillons or medium-bodied white blends from South Australia.For barbecued or sautо prawns with spiced Asian dipping sauces (chilli, coriander or ginger flavoured), try sweeter or fruitier wines such as Eden Valley rieslings, or traminers.

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