Have you ever wondered about the differences between giant river prawns and giant freshwater prawns? Their appearance, size and flavor appear virtually identical on the surface. The reason for this is that they are in fact the same! These two kinds of prawns are the same species. This means that they’re the same kinds of prawns. If you want to find differences, they will only differ in their place of origin.

Giant river prawns are a kind of freshwater prawns that inhabit natural waterways, and so offer firmer texture than giant freshwater prawns; they even have bigger body and pincer sizes. Large giant river prawns need many years to grow in abundant natural waterways. Accordingly, most farmers don’t prefer to raise giant freshwater prawns to be as big as giant river prawns, as the feeding and growing costs would be higher and also because many years would be required to grow large giant freshwater prawns. Nowadays, the market often sells giant freshwater prawns under the name giant river prawns in order to enhance the product.

Giant river prawns naturally inhabit natural waterways, whether fresh or brackish. In Thailand, they are often found in the central and southern regions such as the Chao Phraya, Bang Pa Kong and Ta Pi river basins. As for neighboring countries such as Burma, they are found in the Irrawaddy River Basin. Giant river prawns are even found in the saltwater lakes and lagoons of India and Bangladesh.

But as the increasing consumer demand has diminished the natural giant river prawns of Thailand, these prawns are often imported from neighboring countries or aqua-cultured. For example, these prawns are grown in enclosures, wherein juvenile prawns are placed in enclosures in a natural environment, often in brackish water such as in Mae Klong, Samut Songkhram. Otherwise, they are raised in farms in ponds or netted enclosures such as in Suphanburi, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Pathom

To sum up, giant river prawns means prawns captured directly from nature, while giant freshwater prawns are mostly farmed prawns.

In addition, giant freshwater prawns are known by other names based on the characteristics of the prawns grown for consumption as follows:

This refers to female giant freshwater prawns. They have smaller and shorter pincers than males, carry eggs in their bellies and are cheaper than Goong Luang. When they carry no eggs, they are known as “Goong Prong Khai” (eggless prawns).

These refer to male freshwater prawns. They are large, meaty and fatty with hard and long pincers. They can fetch quite a high price.

Mostly, this refers to eggless female prawns. Their heads contain hard, bright red fatty lumps. These prawns are suitable for people who enjoy eating shrimp fat that is not watery but is crispy and easier to eat in bites.

These are giant river prawns grown in ponds and do not meet the standard sizes of freshwater prawns. They are small but have large heads. They are often seen in pork grill or buffet restaurants, since they are more affordable.

So, What Kind of Giant Freshwater Prawn is Worthwhile?

Many restaurateurs use giant freshwater prawns as a popular ingredient for various menu items served to customers, and these prawns always run out no matter how many times the ingredient is ordered. Often times, they run out before other ingredients. In terms of the deliciousness of each kind of giant freshwater prawns, it all depends on consumer demands and what they prefer, as well as how the ingredients are chosen and properly prepared. For example, if customers prefer large grilled freshwater prawns, you should choose giant river prawns obtained from natural sources or large giant freshwater prawns. As they offer the same flavor, what you buy will depend on how appropriate the prices are. Otherwise, if you want ingredients for other menu items you want to sell such as Tom Yum Goong, you can choose appropriately-sized giant freshwater prawns instead.

However, if you want to use giant freshwater prawns to prepare different menu items at your restaurant, to ensure convenience in stocking large quantities of ingredients you could also choose frozen giant freshwater prawns as an option that is equally good as the rest. Frozen prawns offer storage convenience while providing similar freshness to live prawns. However, if your restaurant prioritizes freshly prepared foods such as grilled prawns or steamed prawns, choosing fresh giant river prawns will provide superior flavor.

Regardless of from where giant river prawns are sourced, the most important thing to consider is quality. You have to make sure that the prawn source meets standards and that the ingredient is inspected for quality. The prawns must contain no contaminants or chemical residue and must be 100% free of formalin. Accordingly, the giant river prawns that Makro offers are offered in fresh and frozen forms and undergo strict inspection according to standards, so you can be confident that giant river prawns purchased from Makro are both fresh and safe.