Seafood is a broad category that includes everything from shellfish to crustaceans to fish and everything in between. While seafood refers to food from the sea, you’ll find all sorts of species, like shrimp, lobster, oysters, various fish, mussels, prawns, and many more. But is shrimp a fish? The answer is NO, shrimp is a form of seafood, but it does not fall in the fish category.
This guide will highlight the differences between fish and shrimp to help you draw the line. But in a nutshell, shrimp is a part of the crustacean or shellfish category, so it’s not considered a fish.
Shrimp Vs. Fish – A Side-to-Side Comparison
Fish are countable as cold-blooded vertebrates that live in the water, move with fins, and breathe through gills. On the other hand, shrimp is one of several swimming, often edible, crustaceans with long whiskers, slender legs, and long abdomens.
Fish can be kept alive in an aquarium if you provide proper care. They must drink plenty of water and have healthy plants and food. There may be hundreds of fish species in the world, but only 20 species are used commercially as food. They are extremely productive and are on the road to extinction.
Shrimp is rich in vitamin E and have a high content of choline, which is beneficial to your health. Shrimp is a good source of niacin, zinc, vitamin B6, and Vitamin E. It is important to note that shrimp contain antioxidants, like astaxanthin, that help to prevent inflammation or oxidative damage. The fatty acids and proteins that shrimp contains are also very important.
What is Shrimp?
Shrimp is a type of seafood. But because seafood includes many different types of fish, crabs, shrimp, and oysters, many people assume that shrimp is a kind of fish. Crabs, shrimp, and oysters are all types of shellfish.
Shrimp is a type of shellfish that belong to the category of crustaceans. They are classified as decapod crustaceans, very unique creatures with ten legs. Crustaceans are not technically a type of fish; they have skeletons, making them very different from other animals. They have skeletons on the outside of their bodies, which is different from skeletons on the interiors of fish.
Shrimp has an interesting shape to their skeleton and are extremely flexible. They are rigid and have a hard shell that protects them from the elements. Moreover, shrimp are very hardy and can survive in oceans up to 26,000 ft. (4,077 m).
Shrimp can move around on their ten sets of limbs. They have no fins on their bodies but have very short legs and live close to the seafloor. They are extremely hardy and can survive in very cold water for up to 20 years. While 23% of shrimp species prefer freshwater, most species prefer to live at the bottom of the sea.
What is a Fish?
There are three things that distinguish a fish from a shrimp:
- Fish has no limbs or body members
- Fish has an internal skeleton
- Fish has a complex central nervous system
Obviously, shrimp do not meet these prerequisites. If you’re someone who has had fish or caught a fish and stuffed them, you know very well, they are comprised of tiny bones that help to create an internal skeleton in their bodies.
While shrimp are covered in a skeleton that protects them from predators, fish have a flexible skeleton to move about easily in the water to defend themselves.
Fish are very distinctive in their form and shape. There are many different types of fish, but they all have a remarkably similar structures and build. Fish have amazing flexibility in the area around their heads and necks. They can use their heads and tails to move around and maneuver in the water.
Fish are built from muscle and skeletons, so they have a very strong structure that helps them to function. Different types of fish have different characteristics. While shrimp have ten sets of legs, fish do not actually have any legs. Fish have a variety of fins that help propel them around the water.
Some of the most common types of fish you can find in seas and oceans include:
- Bass
- Salmon
- Catfish
- Cod Herring
- Perch Mackerel
- Shark
- Tilapia
- Rainbow Trout
- Mahi-Mahi
- Snapper
- Tuna
- Carp
- Halibut
Is Shrimp Related To Fish?
Shrimp do not possess many of the same characteristics as fish. They do not need a complex nervous system but use limbs to function. Shrimp can get around by using their exoskeleton, the skeleton on the outside of their bodies, unlike fish with limbs that can move and are more flexible than other animals. Shrimp also have thick, rigid bodies that protect them against predators.
Their stomach is divided into segments, and they wear armor that protects them. Fish do not have any visible limbs; they only have a long fin that allows them to swim across the water. Shrimps have three arms that enable them to move around on the seafloor; they also use their tails to propel themselves forward.
Is Shrimp Related to Prawns?
Shrimp and prawns have nothing in common, but they are similar in some respects. They both live together in the water, but their bodies are very different from each other. Some believe that shrimp are just as large as prawns, but there are some very important differences between the two.
Prawns have more of a straight body structure. While shrimps have long, lamellar gills, prawns have branchy gills. Shrimps are able to clench their claws on two of their legs, whereas prawns have three legs. Prawns are segmented, with each segment extending over the next, and shrimp only have the first and third segments of their bodies.
But for good taste, shrimp and prawn are interchangeable. They contain a lot of good protein, so it is good to eat them for health. When you go to a restaurant and order a meal, feel free to choose either shrimp or prawns, as they both taste great.
Are Shrimp Considered Animals?
Even the term seafood may seem confusing to some people. For example, what is different about lobster and crab? How are they different from fish? Seafood is any fish that is edible to humans, like salmon, ling cod, and other small fish, like urchins and sea cucumbers. Fish primarily consist of living creatures that have fins and gills and can also have long backbones, like lobsters and shrimp.
Shrimp is considered a kind of shellfish, comprising nearly any edible marine species, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimps, clams, octopuses, squid, and many other shellfish.
Various Types of Shrimp
Caridea, or green shrimp, is the scientific name for shrimp. Their taxonomical classification places them in the family Caridea and Pleocyemata. There may be 300 different species of shrimp, each with its own unique genus and scientific name. There is a variety of shrimp available in many different areas of the world, and you can identify their species by their sheer color.
White legs shrimp are typically located in the Pacific Ocean. It is not unusual for a shrimp to live for more than nine years and have a body measuring about 23 centimeters in length. Pink and white shrimp live in the oceans of the North Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Japan is the largest producer of akiami paste shrimp, which is sold dried and salted. If you catch them while they are still young, they will have white, grey, or light blue shells.
Wrapping Up
American and European markets are the main producers of farmed shrimp, while East and Southeast Asia produce the most shrimp from natural water bodies. Shrimp can be easily prepared and thrown in a variety of dishes and is one of the simplest seafood to prepare. Most recipes for shrimp are from coastal countries, like Spanish paella and a kind of Italian pasta marinara. There are also many other dishes that originate from the east and southeast (sushi).