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Is Prawn kosher?

No — Prawn is not kosher under Jewish dietary law.

Not kosher. Prawns are shellfish and share shrimp's disqualification: no fins, no scales.

Prawn (Dendrobranchiata)

Image: Photo by Jud McCranie · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Scientific name
Dendrobranchiata
Hebrew name
חסילון
Also known as
King prawn, Tiger prawn, Jumbo prawn
Category
shellfish
Fins & scales
No fins ✗ , no scales ✗
Kosher status
Not kosher

About Prawn

Large decapod crustaceans, often used interchangeably with "shrimp" though anatomically distinct. Dendrobranchiata is a suborder of decapods, commonly known as prawns (though this may be ambiguous). There are 540 extant species in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian. They differ from related animals, such as Caridea and Stenopodidea, by the branching form of the gills (hence their scientific name Dendrobrachiata) and by the fact that they do not brood their eggs, but release them directly into the water. They may reach a length of over 330 millimetres (13 in) and a mass of 450 grams (1.0 lb), and are widely fished and farmed for human consumption. Dendrobranchiata is a suborder of decapods, commonly known as prawns (though this may be ambiguous). There are 540 extant species in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian. They differ from related animals, such as Caridea and Stenopodidea, by the branching form of the gills (hence their scientific name Dendrobrachiata) and by the fact that they do not brood their eggs, but release them directly into the water. They may reach a length of over 330 millimetres (13 in) and a mass of 450 grams (1.0 lb), and are widely fished and farmed for human consumption. Nomenclature While Dendrobranchiata and Caridea belong to different suborders of Decapoda, they are very similar in appearance, and in many contexts such as commercial farming and fisheries, they are both often referred to as "shrimp" and "prawn" interchangeably. In the United Kingdom, Australia and some other Commonwealth nations, the word "prawn" is used almost exclusively, while the opposite is the case in North America. The term "prawn" is also loosely used to describe any large shrimp, especially those that come 15 (or fewer) to the pound (such as "king prawns", yet sometimes known as "jumbo shrimp...

Kosher ruling

Not kosher. Prawns are shellfish and share shrimp's disqualification: no fins, no scales.

Source: Orthodox Union, Chabad; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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