Tiger prawn is one of the most familiar names on any seafood counter in Singapore. It is also one of the least specific. The phrase covers several species, caught or farmed across half the world, at every level of quality. So when we say that Skull Island prawns are not an ordinary tiger prawn, it is worth explaining exactly what we mean.
A different prawn altogether
Most tiger prawns sold in Asia are the black tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon, the large majority of which are raised in coastal aquaculture ponds. Skull Island prawns are a different species. They are wild brown tiger and grooved tiger prawns, Penaeus esculentus and Penaeus semisulcatus, native to the tropical waters of northern Australia.
You can see the difference before you cook them. Skull Island prawns carry bold, defined stripes and a vivid blue-violet tail fan, and they are large: Austral Fisheries, the Australian family business behind the label, describes them as the biggest tiger prawns caught in the country, with the very largest reaching around 26cm and 100g each.
Where they come from
Skull Island itself is a small, remote island in the Sir Edward Pellew group, in the Northern Territory's corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The sheltered inshore waters around it are rich in seagrass, with strong tides and abundant food, the ideal nursery for juvenile tiger prawns to grow slowly to full size.
The prawns are caught in Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery, which in 2012 became the first tropical prawn fishery in the world to be certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. Fishing is confined to a short season each year; for the rest of the year the grounds are closed so that young prawns can mature and breed. Austral Fisheries is also certified carbon neutral, and describes Skull Island as the world's first carbon neutral prawn.
This is the kind of sourcing we believe in, and the reason we stock the prawns at all. We set out the principle more fully in What Clean Food Really Means: quality begins with the producer, long before the ingredient reaches the kitchen.
Frozen at sea, within hours
A prawn begins to deteriorate the moment it leaves the water. Skull Island prawns are hand-selected, graded and packed on board, then snap frozen at sea within hours of the catch. There is no long journey to a processing plant on land, and no time for the flesh to soften.
Freezing at this speed forms fine ice crystals that leave the prawn's structure intact, the same science that guides how we handle our fish, explained in Why IQF & Blast Freezing Matter. A properly sea-frozen wild prawn will often eat better than a so-called fresh prawn that has spent days on ice.
Why it matters on the plate
Wild brown tiger prawns grow slowly in cool, clean, moving water, and it shows. The flesh is dense and firm with a clean snap, rather than soft or watery, and the flavour is distinctly sweet with a gentle brine. When cooked, the shells turn a deep coral red and the meat holds its shape, which is why chefs value them for grilling, tempura and any dish where the prawn is the centre of the plate rather than an ingredient within it.
Their size also changes how you cook. A Skull Island prawn can be treated more like a small lobster tail than a scattering of shrimp: grilled in the shell, butterflied, or served two or three to a plate as a main course.
Our Skull Island prawns
Skull Island Prawns, Snap Frozen
Raw, whole and shell-on, wild-caught in the Northern Prawn Fishery. Available in a 500g pack for the home table, or a 3kg carton for entertaining and the freezer.
How we love them
Grilled in the shell. Thaw the prawns in the refrigerator. Brush lightly with olive oil, season with sea salt and grill over high heat until the shells are charred and the flesh is just opaque, around two to three minutes a side depending on size. Finish with lemon, fresh herbs and a little good butter. Leaving the shell and head on protects the flesh and adds flavour.
For something brighter, try our Chilli, Coriander & Lime BBQ Prawns or BBQ Prawns with Mango, Lime, Tamari & Mint Dressing. For a quick pan supper, our Garlic Prawns are hard to better.
A note on doneness: large wild prawns go from perfect to tough quickly. Take them off the heat the moment the flesh turns from translucent to opaque; they will finish cooking as they rest.
Storage and thawing
- Keep frozen at -18°C or below until ready to use.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or under cold running water in their sealed bag if time is short. Never thaw at room temperature.
- Once thawed, cook within 24 hours and do not refreeze.
- Keep the heads and shells for a deeply flavoured prawn stock or bisque.
A tiger prawn, then, is not simply a tiger prawn. Species, water, season and the hours between catch and freezer all decide what arrives on your plate. Skull Island gets each of them right. Shop Skull Island Prawns.
Further reading from The Fishwives
- Why IQF & Blast Freezing Matter: the science of fast freezing, and how it protects texture and flavour.
- What Clean Food Really Means: our view on sourcing, minimal processing and ingredients that need little else.
- Salmon vs. Trout: another look at how species and provenance shape what reaches your plate.
- Prawn Recipes: every prawn dish from our kitchen, from barbecue to curry.
