Can You Eat Raw Shrimp? How to Store It and Consume It?

Seafood holds a unique position in the world of food and delicacies. Seafood harvesting and consumption date back thousands of years ago. It is an ancient practice of almost fifty to ten thousand years old. Here we will find out the correct answer to can you eat raw shrimp, and how to have it!

Shrimps make an amazing delicacy amongst seafood. They are one of the costliest seafood depending on the geographical area.

The history of seafood is just as rich and varied as the category itself. Many forms of marine life come under the list of seafood across the globe. Prominently, it includes shellfish, fish, and certain marine foliage.

Mollusks have special varieties in seafood, almost as much as fishes do. It consists of mussels, clams, cephalopods, and oysters. Crustaceans such as lobster, crabs, and shrimps. The echinoderms such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers are seafood.

Previously, whales and seals were also hunted and eaten as seafood, but it is no longer a widespread practice due to over-hunting.

Shrimps and prawns are often used synonymously in the food and restaurant industries due to similarities in their appearance. However, they are distinct from one another as they belong to separate suborders. Shrimps are prepared and consumed in various ways all over the world.

We have looked at how a shrimp can be prepared. We have answered questions such as can you eat raw shrimp, can you eat frozen shrimp raw, and how to tell if shrimp is cooked.

Seafood Industry

The seafood industry supports a wide range of hunting and fishing practices worldwide. The harvesting of marine life for consumption is fishing or hunting.

Fish and various types of sea life and plants cultivate through aquaculture, harvesting, and fish farming. Most harvested seafood goes into human consumption, while some for other animals.

The seafood industry also has adjacent industries, such as the seafood extract or products industry. Also, the non-food products industries like the production of leather. Seafood is also used as medicine in some cases.

Maruha Nichiro, a Japanese company, is the largest seafood business globally. In 2020, it reportedly made ¥905.2 billion. The edibility of many types of marine life is a specialty of the seafood industry.

Crustaceans

As previously stated, seafood involves a lot of different types of species and suborders. Crustaceans are one of them. A crustacean is an invertebrate species with shells or crusts segmented into many parts.

The shells are usually chitin. Commercially found crustaceans have ten segmented legs and stalked compound eyes. Crustaceans include Krills, Lobsters, Shrimp, and Crabs.

Other types of crustacean seafood include giant barnacles, gooseneck barnacles, brine shrimp, and mantis shrimp.

Krills

Krills are tinier versions of adult shrimps, but they have many legs and external gills. They are consumed in Russia and Japan as delicacies. But they are otherwise harvested as food for other animals.

Crabs

Crabs are usually hard-shelled crustaceans with big claws at the front. They have many variations like coconut crab and king crabs. These are considered fine delicacies in seafood. They are usually raised in crab fisheries. This type of fishery is one of the most established fisheries in the world.

Lobsters

Lobsters are hard-shelled crustaceans with asymmetrical claws. They are of many types and are considered equally delicious, if not more than crabs. They are usually raised in lobster fisheries.

Shrimps

The shrimps are the subject of the discussion. Shrimps are commercially sourced from both wild and artificial fisheries. Shrimps are a good source of protein in the diet but do not provide as much energy.

Shrimp consumption is quite beneficial for health as it helps in good circulation. Shrimps are widely consumed, though they are also a common source of allergy.

Shrimp Farming

Shrimps are sourced through multiple channels. Shrimps are farmed and harvested from local or sea coasts, shrimp fisheries, and prawn farming (freshwater).

Shrimp Fisheries

Shrimp fisheries are one of the biggest seafood industries in the world, particularly in Asia. Mainly, a special kind of vessel shrimper helps fishermen catch shrimps. Out of the total 3000 species of shrimps, only almost 300 of them are consumed globally.

The most common types of shrimps are Natantian Decapoda Nei, Penaeus Shrimp, Akiami Paste Shrimp, Giant Tiger prawn, Northern prawn, and southern rough shrimp.

Shrimp fisheries involve different techniques and facilities such as warm water, cold water, and paste.

Shrimp Farming

This is a type of aquaculture business. It either produces shrimps or prawns. Asia, particularly in Indonesia and China today, farms around 30% of the shrimp in the world. Latin America is also a large region for farming shrimp.

This type of farming now makes use of sustainable methods. Mostly it focuses on freshwater shrimps, and animal welfare is the largest concern in this industry.

Prawn Farming

Prawn farming is huge in China, India as well as in Thailand. It is an aquaculture industry. This is mainly based on freshwater prawns and focuses on harvesting giant riverine prawns. The three types of giant prawns cultivated here are the Malaysian prawns, monsoon river, and Oriental prawns from China.

Can You Eat Raw Shrimp?

The answer to can you eat shrimp raw is yes, but in many different ways. In the ‘drunken shrimp’ dish, the shrimp is consumed raw. It is alive when eaten, and before that, it is soaked in ethanol. The drunken shrimp dish uses freshwater shrimps.

Though it can also be boiled, raw shrimp is a famous dish in Japanese cuisines. Here, prawns or shrimps are eaten raw or boiled in sushi. The other methods of preparing shrimps are frying, baking, barbecuing, and grilling.

Yes, you can eat shrimp raw in some dishes. The shrimp are deveined, and its head, covering shells, and tails are removed before eating raw. So, now you might wonder if you can eat frozen shrimp raw. Yes, you can eat frozen shrimp raw as long it is frozen properly.

This is necessary because it kills any harmful bacteria on or inside the shrimp. Freezing, frying, or boiling is the best way to eat shrimp. When you are pregnant, you might be unsure if eating shrimps raw are safe.

You might think, can you eat raw shrimp while pregnant? Of course! Raw shrimps are perfectly okay, as long as you consume them within the limit.

Preparing Raw Shrimps – Can You Eat Raw Shrimp/ Uncooked?

Shrimps have a peculiar flavor when eaten raw. Their natural taste retains when the shrimp is sweet and tender. Raw shrimp pairs perfectly with rich sauces, seaweeds, or a range of accentuated vegetables.

However, eating raw shrimp requires certain preparation. Can you eat raw shrimp? Of course, you can! But there are certain things that you need to do before so that the experience of eating shrimp uncooked is pleasant.

Before eating a shrimp raw, you need to be mindful of the following things:

Preparation

The quality of shrimp must be good. The Ama Ebi is the best shrimp option.

Remove the shell and legs of the shrimps by slicing the underbelly of it. Rinse the shrimp clean, and then soak them in cold water.

You can add a dash of cilantro or herb of your own choice to the shrimps. Add a little bit of lemon or lime for additional zest. After that, you have to refrigerate it for a day or two.

Eating

There is a certain technique for eating raw shrimp in sashimi or sushi-style. You can either hold the tail of the marinated shrimp and eat it slowly as the rich flavors burst on your tongue. Or you can also use wasabi or dipping sauce to eat the raw shrimp.

This is only one method of eating and answering the question of can you eat raw shrimp. There are some other ways of eating shrimp given in the article.

Can you eat raw shrimp frozen

Eating frozen shrimp is a way of eating shrimp raw. As previously discussed, you need to prepare the shrimp of your choice any way you like. Then refrigerating it and eating it cold is a good way of avoiding bacteria and having the opportunity of eating the shrimp raw.

Shrimp Sashimi

Shrimp Sashimi is the best answer to can you eat raw shrimp because it is the most popular form of eating shrimp uncooked. High-grade shrimp is perfect for this one. That is why shrimp sashimi is costlier.

The best kinds of shrimp sashimi include Sakura Ebi, Botan Ebi, Kuruma Ebi, and, as discussed earlier, Ama Ebi. Sashimi highlights the salty, sweet, and tender flavor of the shrimp.

When paired with wasabi or soy sauce, it is almost perfect. That is why everyone gives shrimp sashimi as the answer to whether you can eat raw shrimp.

Cooking Shrimps

Uncooked shrimps are tastier in some dishes. People may prefer to eat raw shrimp because it retains its unique flavor. Alternatively, cooked shrimp recipes give you endless options to bring the culinary genius in you.

So, how to tell if shrimp is cooked? When cooking it through either frying, grilling, or boiling, it is important to look at its rear or the tail-end. The tail-end portion of the shrimp is the thickest.

Therefore, if that side is opaque and not translucent, you will confirm having cooked shrimp. They will also curl into themselves when cooked or fried properly. The color of a well-cooked shrimp is either pinkish or brown, depending on the cooking method.

The cooked shrimp temperature is 120° F or 49° C. Consider the shrimp cooked temperature when in or around this cooking temperature.

Risks

Eating raw shrimp can be risky for some and normal for others. Eating is a conscious and responsible process. There might be harmful bacteria or parasites, or eating shrimp altogether may cause an allergic reaction if not previously tested.

Raw shrimp should not be the preliminary introduction for a person who has never had a shrimp before. The taste might cause nausea. Consuming uncleaned and unfrozen shrimp may cause serious health hazards.

Pregnant and older people can consume raw shrimp. But doctor’s or a medical consultant’s advice is necessary before doing so. They are not harmful to these demographics but can cause or exacerbate pre-existing problems.

Nausea is common for pregnant people. You should check with a medical professional or a nutritionist beforehand if someone you know is pregnant and wants to try out raw shrimp.

Regardless, eat raw shrimp only if you are sure it is something you want to try out. Having all the precautions ready is good.

Ensure that the shrimp comes from a reliable store or directly from a fishery. It is necessary to clean and freeze shrimp. It would help if you consumed the shrimp quickly after de-freezing to avoid staleness.

Final thoughts

Shrimps have varieties in their preparation. There are many cultural and ethnic ties related to its various preparations. Shrimps are an indelible part of seafood cuisines. The edibility of shrimps is truly noteworthy.

Shrimps offer several forms of preparation, and people source it differently worldwide. Seafood aficionados celebrate the goodness of shrimps. It is one of the most valued tastes in sushi and sashimi.

The costliest shrimp in the world is the Jumbo Tiger prawn. It is one of the largest prawns commercially available and reportedly costs around $10k. Therefore, the article has answered whether you can eat raw shrimp and the many ways to consume it.

Along with that, you now have much new and interesting information about shrimp and seafood. Shrimps don’t make the most expensive seafood consumed worldwide. But it is in the upper echelon of truly sumptuous seafood.