Prawns are big in so many ways

"Buy prawns, marinate, apply heat, then devour." Max Veenhuyzen - The Guardian

Prawns are big - particularly at this time of year, because, along with a ham, and maybe a turkey they have become a traditional Australian Christmas treat. I found a 2013 article that said that at Christmas, back then, we were set to eat half a billion prawns over the Christmas period. I imagine the number is even larger now. And indeed even this household - which, in the shape of my husband, is prawn averse, will be having prawns as our seafood entrée at our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

It's a bit strange in fact to be talking about prawns as I have only ever cooked them once - because of David's aversion to them. As a child we did eat shrimps which were cheap food for the poor. You bought them by the pint I seem to remember and they tasted sort of sweet, yet sharp. I used to love them. I think we ate them in sandwiches with mustard and cress or watercress. Perhaps you will correct me on this sister dear. However we bought them cooked and never cooked them. I believe if you are really into prawns then you should buy them live and cook them live. No simply could not do that, which I guess just shows that I'm a hypocrite. Anyway these days I am reduced to eating them in restaurants on the few occasions we go out. Although even there I sometimes do not, particularly if it's just we two, because we often share each other's meals, and obviously I can't share my prawns.

Anyway I am talking about prawns because the AFR (Australian Financial Review) Weekend had a very long story about one Van Than Luong - a Vietnamese refugee who has turned himself into one of our richest men, of late by growing prawns in Vietnam.

It's one of those inspiring rags to riches stories which I won't recount here in full - best to read the article. Suffice to say that he arrived here with literally nothing other than the phone number of his refugee brother, worked his way through the rag trade, photo processing and into prawns and a few other sidelines too. He now seems to divide his time between here and Vietnam where he has an absolutely massive prawn farm.

I think it was the scale of the factory/farm as shown in this picture that rather blew my mind. In my head I had the idea that yes indeed lots of our prawns come from South East Asia, including Vietnam and that we should be very dubious because of ecological and ethical concerns. But, according to the AFR anyway this farm is different in that he has worked with the CSIRO to put in place technology that makes the whole operation sustainable and healthy. The water is recycled for example, and the prawns' origins can be traced back nine generations - individual prawns that is. It all sounded pretty impressive to naive me, but then I do believe that not all business is bad. Without business there would be no jobs and if this is truly sustainable and ethical, then it is glimpse of what the future could be. No doubt he decided to do it in Vietnam because there is cheap labour there. I do not know, although the article said that this factory employs 1000 people. He now supplies 30% of the seed prawns - I assume this means the very tiny babies - to other Vietnamese aquaculture companies, and exports his fresh prawns. Not to Australia though I think, because of the strict quarantine regulations there are here. And so he is looking, as his next venture to set up a farm in Queensland on sugar farming land.

Queensland is where most of Australia's prawn farms are, with a few in NSW and WA. Vietnam produces 100,000 tons per year (I think that's right) to Australia's mere 5,000. Tassal, for example, is looking long and hard at setting up prawn farms as they are better money earners than salmon. They too would use CSIRO's technology and research.

So much for the farming. On to the Australian love of prawns on the barbie. Well everyone in the world loves prawns it seems particularly on the coast, partly because they are delicious and partly perhaps because of the association with sun and sand and holidays.

"Whether bought at the shop or caught in waist-high water, barbecued or boiled and served cold, prawns are symbolic of coastal living and associated happy trappings. It’s a truism not just in Australia, but anywhere where people holiday by the sea." Max Veenhuyzen - The Guardian

People claim that it began with that famous Paul Hogan ad although it was shrimps he was putting on the barbie not prawns. Well that's what he said, although actually they were prawns and they were mocking his other famous 'call that a knife' saying - because they were big.

But I reckon we were probably eating prawns on the barbie well before then - why otherwise would they have used it in a tourism ad?

The other reason I am talking about prawns is that we are indeed coming up for Christmas and the foodie magazines are full of delectable things to do with them. A popular way is skewers - a version of the buy, marinate and apply heat maxim at the top of the page.

Or you can make them part of a salad, although once again you probably marinaded and applied heat for this particular version. Or you can simply buy them already cooked and make them part of a massive seafood platter. Which is probably what most people do at Christmas anyway.

This one was compiled by the Woolworths Fresh team and it is unashamedly publicising their products, but it does look pretty impressive I have to say.

I'm not bothering to give any recipes today because it seems that mostly you just do the obvious - throw a marinaded prawn on the barbie. I think preparing the prawns may be slightly more complicated, but then again if you spend more money you need to do less work. Fresh Magazine tells you how to prepare it all anyway.

One thing is for sure though - billions of pawns will be eaten. Some are caught wild at sea here in Australia - apparently according to strict rules. We are one of the better fishing nations in the world. Not so some of the countries just above us, and although Van Than Huong may be doing it the right way, probably a whole lot of other Vietnamese and South East Asians are not. So if you care, try to buy Australian. We do produce them here too - just not as many, and probably not as cheaply.