Whole Raw XL King Prawns
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Whole raw XL king prawns, head and shell on, farmed in Ecuador and frozen in a shallow bed of water so they arrive exactly as they went in.
- One 1kg box, about 30 prawns
- Five each makes a proper main, so a box feeds six (or ten as a starter)
- Barbecue, grill or fry in garlic butter, then peel at the table
- Raw: grey-blue in the box, pink when cooked
"King prawn" is a market name, not a species. Nearly every king prawn sold in Britain is this one, Penaeus vannamei, the whiteleg prawn, native to the Pacific coast of South America. (Ecuador is, in other words, farming it on home turf.) These replaced the Asian black tigers we used to sell under this name.
They're farmed. What you're paying for is size and how they're frozen. The water bed keeps them still in the box, so shells and heads arrive intact.
The shell is the point. It protects the meat on a fierce grill, and the heads hold most of the flavour. Suck them, or keep them for stock.
How to cook whole raw king prawns
Barbecue or grill: very hot, 2–3 minutes a side, until pink all over.
Pan: butter or olive oil, garlic and chilli, 3–4 minutes, turning once. Finish with a splash of white wine and have bread for the pan.
The vein: snip down the back with scissors and pull it out. It's harmless, but gritty on a prawn this size.
Storage and defrosting
Keep frozen. Defrost overnight in the fridge, cook within 24 hours and don't refreeze.
Questions
Are these tiger prawns?
No. They're whiteleg (vannamei) prawns from Ecuador, which replaced our black tigers.
How many per person?
Five for a main, three for a starter.
Do I have to devein them?
No, but on XL prawns most people prefer to.
What are the allergens?
Crustaceans, plus sulphites (E223, used as an antioxidant).
If you'd rather skip the peeling, our XXL raw peeled king prawns have it done for you.
How you've been using our whole king prawns...
"For sub twenty quid a kilo, these are beautiful, pan fried in garlic butter with fries and a bottle of cava. Perfect"
"As Rick Stein would say 'yummo'. We had them grilled and also made a bisque for supper the next day."
"These were excellent. I cooked them in olive oil with garlic, chilli and coriander and they were delicious."
Try something new
Product Details
Whole raw XL king prawns, head and shell on, farmed in Ecuador and frozen in a shallow bed of water so they arrive exactly as they went in.
- One 1kg box, about 30 prawns
- Five each makes a proper main, so a box feeds six (or ten as a starter)
- Barbecue, grill or fry in garlic butter, then peel at the table
- Raw: grey-blue in the box, pink when cooked
"King prawn" is a market name, not a species. Nearly every king prawn sold in Britain is this one, Penaeus vannamei, the whiteleg prawn, native to the Pacific coast of South America. (Ecuador is, in other words, farming it on home turf.) These replaced the Asian black tigers we used to sell under this name.
They're farmed. What you're paying for is size and how they're frozen. The water bed keeps them still in the box, so shells and heads arrive intact.
The shell is the point. It protects the meat on a fierce grill, and the heads hold most of the flavour. Suck them, or keep them for stock.
How to cook whole raw king prawns
Barbecue or grill: very hot, 2–3 minutes a side, until pink all over.
Pan: butter or olive oil, garlic and chilli, 3–4 minutes, turning once. Finish with a splash of white wine and have bread for the pan.
The vein: snip down the back with scissors and pull it out. It's harmless, but gritty on a prawn this size.
Storage and defrosting
Keep frozen. Defrost overnight in the fridge, cook within 24 hours and don't refreeze.
Questions
Are these tiger prawns?
No. They're whiteleg (vannamei) prawns from Ecuador, which replaced our black tigers.
How many per person?
Five for a main, three for a starter.
Do I have to devein them?
No, but on XL prawns most people prefer to.
What are the allergens?
Crustaceans, plus sulphites (E223, used as an antioxidant).
If you'd rather skip the peeling, our XXL raw peeled king prawns have it done for you.
How you've been using our whole king prawns...
"For sub twenty quid a kilo, these are beautiful, pan fried in garlic butter with fries and a bottle of cava. Perfect"
"As Rick Stein would say 'yummo'. We had them grilled and also made a bisque for supper the next day."
"These were excellent. I cooked them in olive oil with garlic, chilli and coriander and they were delicious."
- Farmed
- Raw
- Ecuador
