: What is the difference between a prawn and a shrimp? Are prawns and shrimps the same thing or are they different? Basically, I think they're the same but one of my friends was arguing that they're similar but definitely not

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This is what I came across. These two differ in their:

Physical structure: Prawn has three pairs of legs while shrimp has only two (easy way to differentiate)
As far as nutrition goes, they are almost the same with prawn having 20g of proteins & shrimp having 24g of proteins.
As far as taste goes shrimp tastes buttery while prawn tastes a bit like chicken

These two links will give you more descriptive answers:
Prawn vs. Shrimp
Difference Between Prawn & Shrimp

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Biologically speaking, they are actually different species, but the names are so commonly used interchangeably as to completely muddle the distinctions. For example, spot prawns are actually shrimp while ridgeback shrimp are actually prawns.

Prawns have claws on three of their five pairs of legs, shrimp have claws on two of their five pairs of legs. Their gills and body shape are different too.

As far as cooking them goes, they are virtually identical and interchangeable.

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