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Carabinero Prawns 15/20 Reviews

4.9 Rating 72 Reviews
Read Basco Fine Foods Reviews

WHAT ARE CARABINERO PRAWNS? One of the most sought after prawns in professional kitchens worldwide, beautiful Carabineros are a large deep-sea prawn species that hail from Eastern Atlantic into the Mediterranean Sea. Known by a plethora of names, to the Spanish and Portuguese as Carabineros, to the English as Scarlet Shrimp or Cardinal Prawns, and to the French as the Crevette Imperiale, they are renowned for their jumbo size and striking bright red colour. Carabineros translates literally as police, reputedly because the colour of their shells matched the uniforms of Spanish customs police. Yet, their distinct red colour does not change when cooked, as does a lobster shell from blue to red when boiled. More distinct and robust in flavour than other shrimps or langoustines, they are also appreciated for their large size. While their meat is mainly concentrated in the tail, their cephalothoraxes (head and body) are not to be overlooked, and are excellent for making clear and creamed soups and sauces to which it adds flavour and red colour. None of this prawn should go to waste, as Spanish consider the flavour of their heads as a delicacy. HOW TO PREPARE CARABINEROS? Carabineros are traditionally prepared in Spain by simply cooking them under the grill and salting them at the end. Some suggest that they should be treated as a delicate small lobster versus a simple shrimp. Regardless, they can be poached, sauteed, steamed and are excellent in paellas and robust stews, etc. There are many Michelin star chefs that value the plate appeal of their colour and size when served whole. HOW MANY CARABINERO PRAWNS DO I GET? With an average weight of 1.1Kg, each box contains between 15 to 20 Carabinero prawns. Whole and head on, they are individually quick frozen on the boats to ensure their freshness. These Carabinero prawns are wild-caught in the Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean (FAO 34). HOW WILL I RECEIVE MY CARABINERO PRAWNS? You will receive one frozen box of carabinero prawns delivered on ice pads. If you are not using the prawns straight away, store in the freezer. If you are, then you will need to thaw it in the fridge for at least 24 hours before cooking. PLEASE NOTE THAT WEIGHTS CAN VARY FROM BOX TO BOX, SO EXPECT A SLIGHT VARIATION ON THE NUMBER OF CARABINERO PRAWNS YOUR GET.

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Posted 4 years ago
Nicole Watson
Verified Reviewer
Had to come back to order more so amazing! Great taste and amount for the price.
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Posted 4 years ago
Baden Gowrie-smith
Verified Reviewer
These were incredible. can't wait to buy again
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Posted 4 years ago
Anthony Colletta
Verified Reviewer
Absolutely delicious, probably the best prawns money can buy!
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Posted 4 years ago
Rupert Blackshaw
Verified Reviewer
Best prawns I’ve ever eaten!!!
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Posted 4 years ago
Bought two packets for a dinner party and asked the Basco chef how long to steam them. He replied 10 minutes. Did this with a trial few and they were grossly overcooked and tasteless. Didn't use them for the dinner party but subsequently made stock from the heads and peeled the bodies for a paella. The stock tasted awful and the peeled raw prawns had a very soft consistency. Didn't use them for the paella and finally threw them away as we had given some to a friend, in case we were peculiar in our tasting, who also thought them awful. Complete waste of money. Maybe they had been at the bottom of the Basco freezer for a long time!
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Posted 4 years ago
Dear Julian, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you felt that the carabinero prawns were not up to standard. We have received a large amount of 5 star reviews for this product but we undertand that food is subjective to everyone's taste. As for the time steaming the prawns, standard tiger prawns usually take 6-8 minutes, hence our recommendation of steaming the carabineros for 10 minutes as they are a larger prawn in size. The only thing to consider is at what temperature and strength the steam was when cooking them Please note that we have a strict food rotation policy and we dont stock pile on frozen items such as carabinero prawns, as we tend to buy them in regularly from our supplier in Cadiz. Please get in touch with us, if you would like to place another order and give us a chance to redeem ourselves, we will make sure we look after you. Kind Regards Basco
Posted 4 years ago
These look amazing haven’t yet cooked them...but judging by their appearance definitely in for a treat.
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Posted 5 years ago
Not cheap but so tasty
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Posted 5 years ago