A prawn is a prawn
…or is it? Does it really matter whether a prawn comes from warm or cold water, whether it is farmed or wild caught and does size equal quality? These are questions posed by consumers, who are not always able to distinguish.
By Ditte LundStudies have shown that not all consumers are aware of the difference between wild caught cold water prawns and farmed warm water prawns. When asked about prawns, consumers will often only distinguish between large and small prawns, which can lead to a bad experience if using for example a warm water prawn for a salad. This is likely to lead to the prawns being experienced as dull and tasteless. Alternatively, cooking cold water prawns in a hot dish, making them shrink and go dry. A challenge for both the prawn industry, retailers and chefs alike.
Standout taste
However, in 2013, Seafish, International Cold Water Prawn Forum (ICWPF) and the agency rdsi facilitated a consumer study of the uses of prawns among consumers. In the study, a group of foodie bloggers and a group of families were asked to purchase prawns and use them in their everyday cooking. The respondents experimented with preparing dishes with cold water prawns and found that they enjoyed, when prepared correctly. However, consumers were confused about where and when to use cold water prawns and tried to use them as they might warm water prawns, resulting in a very disappointing experience. Although cold water prawns are already cooked, the bloggers were concerned for food safety and overcooked them in warm dishes. Again, they were very disappointed with the results.
When prepared in a way which suited cold water prawns – salads and cold dishes – the respondents especially commented on the flavor of the CWP, stating that "They are really light and delicate, you don't want anything to overpower them as they taste great" and "They are really flavoursome – you can actually taste prawn ". Because of the flavor, consumers have a preference for CWP for cold dishes such as salads, sandwiches and starters; whereas WWP were found better for strong flavoured and cooked dishes, as they easily absorb spices and flavours.
The conclusion was that there is a potential for expanding the prawn market as a whole, by differentiating CWP from WWP, positioning them for different types of preparation methods and dishes. In addition, the study highlighted the need for educating consumers on the differences between the species, as well as how to use them in the kitchen. Especially given the current price developments, it is important that consumers have a good eating experience at every occasion.
Industry collaboration
Rising CWP prices caused by declining volumes available in the market is a strong incentive for the CWP industry to utilize the available raw material in the best possible way, in order to maintain their revenue after a number of years with large available volumes. At the 2013 International Cold Water Prawn Forum (ICWPF) conference, Mikael Thinghuus, CEO of Royal Greenland, set the agenda for the CWP industry as a whole, drawing attention to the industry's common responsibility by stating that: "We need to […] put quality on an equal footing with yield and cost, positioning cooked and peeled prawns as a luxury product in Europe". In other words, the product has to live up to the high price it currently demands.
At the 2014 conference in November, Royal Greenland and Newfoundland and Labrador Fishing Association kicked-off a joint project for addressing the second part of the challenge – educating on the benefits and uses of Cold Water Prawns. The collaboration will primarily target trainee chefs in the UK, which is the largest prawn market in Europe, and will be rolled out in the spring of 2015.
