Purple Shrimp

The Purple Shrimp

The purple shrimp, Aristeus antennatus, is less present in the Mediterranean than the red shrimp, this does not mean that the stocks are in deficit, but that the capture of this species is more difficult, given that it lives in higher depths . Make vertical movements, going from a depth of 150 meters (at night) to 800 meters (during the day). In spite of the name, the purple shrimp is also red in color, but with shades tending to purple and blue. It lives in very large groups up to 1400 meters deep. It is present in the Mediterranean throughout the FAO 37 area and in a small part also east of the Atlantic Ocean. A product with a unique taste, also interesting from a nutritional point of view. If frozen on board, the purple shrimp does not alter the flavor.

What purple crayfish feeds on ?
The purple shrimp feeds on molluscs and small marine crustaceans. He is fond of bivalves, especially from the Nucula.

How I find it on the market ?
As with the red prawn, this species is caught with bottom trawls. We can therefore find it on the counters of both fresh and frozen fish.

How do I recognize the two species ?
difference between red prawn and purple prawn There are two characters that allow us to recognize the difference between red prawn and purple prawn. The first is the color, but alone it cannot be enough. In fact, as already mentioned, the purple shrimp is red in color with shades from purple to blue. Looking at this unique character is not enough. Instead, what really characterizes these two crustaceans is the presence of teeth on the rostrum which are 3 in the purple shrimp, 5-6 in the red shrimp.