By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
Last year, in one of the more dramatic shifts in agricultural land use, Cedar Grove farmer Joe Thompson hauled in his first harvest of freshwater prawns, on land that had for generations yielded tobacco.
Thompson settled on prawns after hip surgery as a less labor-intensive crop. A tired but pleased Thompson phoned The Citizen to report another bumper crop of the crustaceans out of his pair of two-acre growing ponds.
“It’s looking pretty good,†Thomspon said. “We’ve got around 1,500 pounds.†The first batch, harvested in late September, was running in the seven-count range, he said. The second, brought in last weekend, was more in the 10 to 11-count range.
Thompson has distributed the prawns to local restaurants and sent a total of 250 pounds to Weaver Street Market, which has them on sale for $12.99 a pound. The taste is a little sweeter and less “fishy†than shrimp and their larger size makes them suitable for grilling and roasting.
A few prawn facts and a couple of tips for preparing them:
- Until recently, people used prawns and shrimp interchangeably, but now that prawn aquaculture has taken off, the term prawn gradually is being applied exclusively to freshwater varieties of Palaemonidae.
- They are sold head-on and their spines are a good bit stiffer, so handle with care.
- To avoid overcooking, remove from heat once the prawns turn orange and curl up.
- Save the heads for an excellent stock for gumbo or seafood stew.
For more about Thompson’s efforts to convert to prawn aquaculture along with recipes, prawn facts and photos, visit thompsonprawnfarm.com.