FloGro Fresh Blog

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Recipe Competition

Christmas Recipe Competition

In our Christmas recipe competition, we’re on the hunt for a delicious mouth-watering starter that we can share with our followers for a Christmas treat.

One lucky winner will receive 1kg of FloGro Fresh prawns in time for Christmas!

All we need is a delicious recipe using FloGro Fresh prawns that would be perfect for an elegant starter to Christmas dinner.

You’ll need to send us the ingredients and method and ideally a photo to accompany your recipe.

If you like you can even send us a video demonstration of you making the dish but is not essential for your entry.

Please send your entries to competitions@flogrosystems.com

Closing date for the competition is 9am on Friday 4th December 2020.

Terms and Conditions

  • Closing date for the competition is 9am on Friday 4th December 2020
  • The winning entry will be announced on Monday 7th December 2020.
  • One entrant will be awarded the prize of 1Kg of FloGro Fresh Prawns.
  • Judge’s decision is final.
  • There is no cash alternative to the prize of 1kg of Flogro Fresh prawns with date of delivery subject to prawn availability.
  • There are no limits on entries per participant.
  • Entries should if possible include a photo of the finished dish.
  • In addition to a written recipe, entrants may choose to provide a video demonstration.
  • By entering this competition, each contestant consents to the use of their recipe and his/her first name on our website or social media pages/ PR channels regardless of whether they are the winning entrant.
  • FloGro Fresh can publish or decline to publish; use or decline to use, any submitted pieces at FloGro Fresh’s sole discretion. This includes use on the FloGro website, social media and PR.
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Cooking Prawns in Shells

cooking prawns in shells

What are the benefits of cooking prawns in shells? You may wonder if it makes any difference but cooking prawns in their shells and peeling them afterwards makes for a juicier prawn and adds a lot of flavour to the meaty prawn within. The shell also prevents the prawn from cooking too quickly, especially important if you are grilling or barbequing.

It doesn’t take long to cook prawns, about five minutes, when you’ll see them turn from their raw greyish colour to an orangey pink hue. Be careful not to overcook where they’ll become tough and rubbery.

Some cooks decide to leave the tails on when serving. This is simply a matter of choice – if you’re serving on a large platter for a group of guests it can look more appealing and pretty impressive as it makes the prawns look even larger. Some people even choose to eat the tail, it certainly won’t harm you and some diners like the crunchy texture. Leaving the tail on when cooking also prevents the prawn from curling up.

Some people believe prawns are a superfood. Being low in fat and calories but high in protein and taste, we certainly think they’re a superfood in the fish world!

And if you do decide to shell your prawns before cooking, remember to keep the shells as they can be turned into a delicious stock ideal for risottos or soups.

Our jumbo FloGro Fresh prawns are the perfect ingredient for many dishes. Head over to our shop to experience it for yourself.

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How to Devein a Prawn

How to devein a prawn

If you’re wondering how to devein a prawn then you’ve come to the right place!

Choosing to devein a prawn is simply a matter of preference. It’s perfectly safe to eat a prawn with its vein still intact but seeing it through the shell and meat can be off putting for some so removing it takes just seconds.

If you want to cook your prawns with the shells on you can still devein them. Remove the head first and simply use a very sharp knife and run along the back of the prawn. Carefully pull the prawn apart slightly where you’ve made the incision and you should see the vein there. You can easily remove it using the tip of the knife to hook it out.

If you want to remove the prawn’s shell first. Grab the tail of the prawn with the thumb and forefinger and poke your thumb underneath the shell and pull the first part off. You may find it comes off in segments so you can then work along the prawn removing all the shell and head.

If you prefer a more visual demonstration of how to peel and devein a prawn, then head over to our Rad Prik recipe video made for us by Ottolenghi’s executive chef Calvin Von Niebel where he shows you everything you need to know to successfully prepare your FloGro Fresh prawns.

The larger the prawn, the easier they are to devein. Our jumbo meaty prawns are easy to devein.

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Are Prawns Good For You?

Are prawns good for you

Now more than ever, people are focusing on their food and choosing what they eat for optimum health. Most of us know that eating fish is a healthy option but do you know just how good it is? And are prawns good for you too?

Prawns are jam packed with vitamins and minerals. They’re a rich source of selenium and zinc which are important for maintaining healthy cells and a healthy immune system. They also contain a lot of B vitamins which contribute to energy levels and supporting the nervous system. They’re one of the few food types which have significant levels of iron. The final added bonus? They’re low in calories, chicken contains twice the calories and beef three times as much, so they make a fantastic alternative to meat. 

How much?

The NHS recommends we should all include at least 2 portions of fish in our diet each week and shellfish counts as part of this. Prawns are incredibly versatile and easily bring a pasta or rice dish to life. They work well with most vegetables and can complement chicken too. In need of some meal inspiration? Head over to our Recipes.

Storing prawns safely

To ensure your FloGro Fresh prawns are kept at peak freshness, make sure you store them in the fridge or freezer as soon as you can (we deliver them in coolboxes so don’t worry if you’re not there when they arrive). Keep them in covered containers but not stored in water. Discard any prawns that have cracked shells.

As FloGro Fresh prawns haven’t previously been frozen, it’s perfectly safe for you to freeze them. Prawns should keep refrigerated for up to 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months below -18ºC. Once thawed, frozen prawns should not be refrozen.

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Why the prawn is king

King Prawns with noodles

Ever wondered about king prawns versus tiger prawns? We can give you the lowdown!

The jumbo tiger prawn is the largest prawn in the world reaching up to 33cm long and weighing between 220-440g! Apart from its size, it’s easily identified by the light and dark stripes on its tail. It’s a bit of a show-off prawn at parties! Wild jumbo tiger prawns are much sought after but not always easy to source, and being so large not always practical for most prawn recipes so what’s the alternative?

King prawns are hugely popular in the UK and are actually larger than normal tiger prawns. King prawns, like the Vannamei prawn that we sell, have a meaty, firm texture with a natural sweet taste. Also known as the Pacific White Leg prawn or Pacific White Shrimp. They can be fished in both the ocean and freshwater but questions are raised over wild farming of King prawns in the eastern Pacific ocean where they originate. Consumers are increasingly concerned about their sustainability, habitat destruction and feed pollutants. We choose to grow ours right here in the UK in a contained ecosystem where the saltwater mimics the sea but with none of its pollutants. All of our ingredients are fully traceable.

Did you know the king prawn can grow up to 23cm? In less than three and a half months, our FloGro Fresh prawns grow up to 30g each, meaning they’re bursting with flavour.

Are king prawns healthy?

King prawns are a fantastic source of protein and are packed with vitamins and minerals. They’re a rich source of selenium and zinc which are important for maintaining healthy cells and a healthy immune system. King prawns also contain a lot of B vitamins which fuel energy levels and support the body’s nervous system. Although they’re high in cholesterol, they’re high in good cholesterol and help to lower bad cholesterol. They’re low in calories too and make an appetising alternative to meat.

How do I use king prawns?

Both tiger and king prawns are often sold whole, with their shells, heads and tails on. If you’re buying king prawns for a recipe and they’re sold in their shells (like we do), be sure to double the weight of the amount needed.

King prawns only take about 8 minutes to cook and will turn from a bluish-grey to white-pink when cooked. You can cook them with or without their shells, but the prawn is often juicier if you peel it after being cooked.

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Marine week

Prawns on a chopping board

Marine Week is celebrated by FloGro Fresh with their pollution free production of UK prawns. Prawns are in the top five seafood favourites chosen by us Brits. But most prawns eaten in the UK are imported frozen from the Far East and South America. In these regions, prawns can either be farmed or caught from the wild. Harvesting wild prawns severely damages the ecosystem. Farming prawns pollutes the local environment and produces prawns that are vulnerable to disease. Another major issue with prawn farming is the illegal fishing methods used to capture the tonnes of fish. As we approach National Marine Week commencing 25 July, it’s an opportune time to consider where the prawns you eat come from.

Here at FloGro Fresh we avoid the use of unsustainable feed sources by growing the prawn’s food naturally within the system itself, and supplementing this with additional nutrients. All our ingredients are fully traceable and sourced sustainably. We grow Litopenaeus vannamei, the Pacific White Leg prawn, in a contained ecosystem which mimics the biological and physical processes used by nature to remove waste materials and to oxygenate the water. Our closed-loop aquaculture system is perfect for the sustainable inland production of warm saltwater prawns. The Marine Conservation Society has given us their top rating for our methods of production and sustainability.

The seas around the UK are bursting with wonderful wildlife so looking after them not only means fishing responsibly but being conscious of what’s going into the water. During #PlasticFreeJuly it’s encouraging to know that since the introduction of the carrier bag charge, the Great British Beach Clean has recorded 40% fewer plastic bags on our beaches. There’s still a long way to go though. The UK Wildlife Trusts have some great advice on how we can all reduce our plastic use.

At FloGro Fresh we are striving to find a completely compostable box that we deliver our prawns in. Currently our boxes are made of polystyrene which is a fantastic insulator for ensuring our fresh prawns are delivered to you in tip top condition. But did you know that polystyrene is 100% recyclable? If the material is clean it can be reused to manufacture new boxes and if it isn’t clean, it can still be compacted and recycled into rigid plastic products. If your local recycling centre doesn’t accept polystyrene, you can reuse our boxes in a number of ways.

Some customers have reinvented their box as:

  • A coolbox for drinks/picnics
  • A tray for growing seedlings
  • To aid drainage in plant pots by breaking the box into pieces
  • To take when you go fishing to transport your bait or catch!
  • You could even convert it into a hedgehog house.

So why not begin your support for National Marine Week by buying sustainable British prawns? Not only will you create a deliciously tasty meal but it’ll be in the knowledge you’re helping to protect our seas.