Prawns that taste of prawn. London.

[Robin Joy]

The ones I have bought recently (Tesco & Waitrose) taste of virtually nothing and I would be grateful for any suggestions of a tastier source. I usually like quite large, raw, specimens suitable for Scampi Provencale or Prawn Curry. Fresh or frozen, but peeled if poss. To be fussy, City/SW is my daily routine.

Thanks.

[greedygirl]

I stock up in Lidl when they do the bags of headless, raw frozen prawns but they're only available intermittently.

Otherwise I go to the Chinese supermarket in Brixton, Wing Tai, for both fresh and frozen prawns, or Mash & Son which is a great fishmonger, also in Brixton.

Are you sure that the fish stall in the middle of Borough (the one that also sells game) is that expensive? I've always found it to be quite competitive, bearing in mind that good-quality fish is never cheap.

[Robin Joy]

Monkfish: Tesco £20/Kg....Waitrose £25....Horrids £32.....Borough £38.

Do the Lidl or Chinese prawns actually taste of anything though? That's what my question is about.

[greedygirl]

I wouldn't have recommended them otherwise.

[Robin Joy]

Lovely. Thanks. I didn't mean to sound crabby, but my kind respondants have told me where to buy prawns, not what they're like, so I just thought I'd ask.

[medgirl]

If the prawns are going to be cooked in a dish with fairly strong flavours, like a curry, then the frozen raw ones are fine. If the prawns are going to be done really plain, like grilled/panfried with minimal condiments, then one has to go for the really fresh live ones.
When I was a girl in Calcutta, my dad used to buy these huge live prawns from the local fish market and my mum would steam them in a paste of coconut, mustard and poppy seeds with green chilies. Yum!

[zuriga1]

I think the 'Chinese' prawns are actually from Singapore or that area. They are not the best tasting, but they at least taste like a sea creature. My husband likes the frozen squid.....comes in different sizes as do the prawns. Nothing is as good as fresh fish, but this makes an OK substitute.

[Peg]

I find with supermarket prawns that the small 'local' ones have much more flavour than the big oriental imports. They may not look as fancy, but the taste is far superior.

[Robin Joy]

Thanks for thoughts.

I used to go to the Chinese shops in Lisle St. quite often, so as soon as the weather allows me to get back on my motorbike I'll try their prawn offerings. I won't pay Borough prices, although my office is only 5 mins. walk away so it's very tempting!

I agree Peg, the smaller ones often taste quite good, but I'm not sure about them in Scamp. Prov. and I only ever see them available cooked.

[zuriga1]

The only place I've seen prawns that looked decent were maybe Whole Foods or the Selfridge Food Hall. Of course, I don't shop that often for food in London. I'm sure those prawns were once frozen as is the case most everywhere.

Like medgirl, I get my prawns from a Chinese supermarket Wing Yip) - large bags and, although not the best choice, they do the job when I want to use prawns. Even what they call 'tiger prawns' are half the size of others I've seen here or in the States. I hate the idea of using frozen prawns, but it's better than nothing.

Is there anywhere in London that sells fresh (never frozen) prawns? I'd love to know if there is.

[themags]

Steve Hatt, fishmonger on Essex Road, Islington has beautiful prawns (and langoustines and any other fish/seafood/shellfish you might desire!) Their tuna is so fresh that I make sashimi at home.

[bleep75]

There is a chines fishmongers on shaftesbury avenue that does fresh prawns - have used them but its not as good as the expensive borough market ones. I can't remember the name but is towards picadilly circus end on near where thriller in on.

[medgirl]

Try the See Woo Chinese supermarkets. In the freezer section, they stock boxes and bags of raw whole or headless peeled prawns of various sizes. I use them for cooking curries and think they taste good enough for the frozen variety. I buy all my Asian cooking ingredients from the Greenwich branch.
There is a huge See Woo cash and carry in Greenwich but a smaller branch is located in the middle of Soho Chinatown.
Please Google for the exact locations.