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The Shrimp
They are said to have a high resistance to toxins in polluted areas and as a result may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators.
However, together with prawns, shrimps are widely caught and farmed for human consumption.
Additionally, they are an important food source for larger animals from fish to whales.
Shrimps in general are said to be swimming decapod crustaceans that are classified in the infra-order Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. The adults are said to be filter feeding benthic creatures that live close to the bottom of their habitat and can live in schools and swim rapidly backwards.
Most shrimp mature and breed only in a marine habitat, although there are a small number of freshwater species. The females lay 50,000 to one million eggs, which hatch after some 24 hours into tiny nauplii. These nauplii feed on yolk reserves within their body and then undergo a metamorphosis into zoeae.
This second larval stage feeds in the wild on algae and after a few days metamorphosis again into the third stage to become myses. At this stage the myses already begin to appear like tiny versions of fully-developed adults and feed on algae and zooplankton. After another three to four days they metamorphose a final time into post-larvae (young shrimp having all the characteristics of adults.)
The whole process takes about 12 days from hatching. In the wild, the marine post-larvae then migrate into estuaries, which are rich in nutrients and low in salinity. There they grow and eventually migrate back into open waters when they mature.
Biologists distinguish the true shrimp from the true prawn because of the differences in their gill structures. The gill structure is lamellar in shrimp but branching in prawns. The easiest practical way to separate true shrimps from true prawns is to examine the second abdominal segment. The second segment of a shrimp overlaps both the first and the third segment, while the second segment of a prawn overlaps only the third segment.
Common commercial methods for catching shrimp and prawns include otter trawls, cast nets, seines, shrimp baiting and dip netting. Trawling involves the use of a system of nets. In some parts of the world, fishing with baited traps is also common.
As with other seafood, shrimp is high in calcium, iodine and protein but low in food energy. A shrimp-based meal is also a significant source of cholesterol, from 122 mg to 251 mg per 100 g of shrimp, depending on the method of preparation.
Shrimp consumption, however, is considered healthy for the circulatory system because the lack of significant levels of saturated fat in shrimp mean that the high cholesterol content in shrimp actually improves the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides.
Preparing shrimp for consumption usually involves removing the head, shell, tail, and ‘sand vein’. To de-shell a shrimp, the tail is held while gently removing the shell around the body. The tail can be detached completely at this point, or left attached for presentation purposes. Removing the ‘vein’ (a euphemism for the digestive tract) can be referred to as ‘deveining’, though in fact shrimp do not have any real veins; they have an open circulatory system.
The ‘vein’ can be removed by making a shallow cut lengthwise down the outer curve of the shrimp’s body, allowing the dark ribbon-like digestive tract to be removed with a pointed utensil. Alternatively, if the tail has been detached, the vein can be pinched at the tail end and pulled out completely with the fingers. The shrimp is then rinsed under cold running water.
Shrimp and prawns are versatile ingredients, and are often used as an accompaniment to fried rice. Common methods of preparation include baking, boiling, and frying. Recipes using shrimp form part of the cuisine of many cultures.
(Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)
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