Are shrimps a fish?

When you think of seafood and fish, what exactly comes to mind? You might instantly think of home-fried catfish or perhaps something more delicate like salmon.

Seafood is a fairly broad category and includes everything from fish to crustaceans and shellfish, and everything in between. Seafood appropriately refers to food from the sea (or other bodies of water).

From there, we need to consider the breakdown of other categories as well. There are all kinds of food, such as prawns, lobster, various fish, oysters, mussels, prawns and others.

Do all of these foods fit into the same category? It can be challenging to know how to label them correctly.

Are shrimps a fish?  Although shrimp is a form of shellfish, it does not fall under the category of fish. There are big differences between fish and shrimp, which are actually part of the shellfish or crustacean category. Therefore, the shrimp is not considered a fish. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through a full tutorial and guide explaining what shrimp is compared to fish.

There is a lot to cover in these topics, so pay close attention to the details to really understand what is shrimp and what is fish and why they are not classified as the same type of food.

Read on to find out more about the question “Is shrimp a fish?” and something else.

Prawn Vs. Fish - A Comprehensive Comparison

When people think of seafood, they often think that everything is fish. The truth is that there are several categories, since fish have their own traits, while shrimps and other crustaceans do as well.

The short answer is that shrimp are not fish and fish are not shrimp. In fact, there are some specific characteristics of fish that shrimp simply do not meet.

Let’s break it down by defining shrimp and then fish.

What is shrimp?

Prawns are a type of shellfish.  The term shellfish is a broad category that contains a lot of different animals from the sea - or the lake, or the ocean, or the river, etc. From things like fish and crab to shrimp and oysters, it covers it all.

Prawns fall into the category of shellfish, in that of crustaceans. To be clear, in this case shellfish is the broadest category and crustaceans are a type of shellfish.

Specifically, shrimps are considered decapod crustaceans, because they have 10 legs.

Crustaceans and shellfish are not considered fish. 

Shrimp have a skeleton known as an exoskeleton. This means that the skeleton is on the outside of his body, rather than on the inside like most skeletons.

Also, the shape of this exoskeleton is very unique and there are very few that look or shape like shrimps.

Prawns have an interesting shape and structure. They are almost rounded and curved in nature, with incredibly flexible skeletons that actually act like armor rather than bones.

It’s like a hardened casing that surrounds them on the outside.

Inside your armor or exoskeleton, your abdomen is considered segmented. They actually have some limbs such as abdomen while fish have no classified limbs on their body.

Shrimp have 10 sets of limbs, often called legs. They use those legs and their tail to move or propel themselves and they don’t have flippers in any way. Shrimp usually stay close to the seabed.

For a shrimp, those little legs roam its body. They use their 3 pairs of upper legs as arms to feed.

Is the shrimp a fish?

Prawns are part of the shrimp category in a sense. They are large crustaceans with a structure very similar to that of shrimps and are not fish. They also have an exoskeleton with 10 legs, but they are larger than typical shrimp.

Prawns and prawns are often thought of as the same thing, and although they are quite similar, they are actually different.

However, prawns are still not fish. Prawns are also considered a crustacean, which falls under the shellfish category.

Prawns and prawns are similar in nature and again both fall under the crustacean category, but neither is a fish so keep that in mind.

Prawns are known for their curved body, with a distinct curvature, while prawns do not have such a curvature in their bodies . Prawns and prawns also tend to live in different types of water.

In short, prawns are not fish, but crustaceans very similar to shrimp.

Is the shrimp a shellfish?

Shellfish is a broad category, as is fish. Shellfish encompasses things like crustaceans and mollusks. There are many things that fall into the seafood category and shrimp is one of them.

Here are some common shellfish you might come across. This list includes both crustaceans and mollusks.

• prawns
• Locust
• oysters
• Crab
• clams
• Prawns
• River Crabs
• Octopus
• Squid
• scallops

In short, a shellfish is an aquatic being that has an exoskeleton instead of a traditional skeleton . This gives them a shell or perhaps a hardened outer shell on the outside of their body.

Most shellfish are considered saltwater creatures, but there are some that come from freshwater.

So yes, prawns would classify as a shellfish!

What is a fish?

Now, let’s take a look at fish to try to find the clear differences between fish and shrimp. There are 3 main characteristics that identify a fish in the wild.

• Fish have an internal skeleton
• Fish do not have limbs or limbs.
• Fish have a complex central nervous system.

From the outset, prawns do not meet all these particular requirements. If you’ve ever eaten fish or fished and filleted it, you know full well that they are full of tiny bones that create an internal skeleton for their bodies.

Prawns have that skeleton on the outside.

This skeleton is somewhat flexible for the fish, so that they can move their bodies to move through the water and act in defense with quick movements as well.

Fish have a pretty definite shape and build and while there are a LOT of different types of fish, they all have a pretty similar overall build.

Fish are incredibly flexible, especially around the head and neck. They use their tail and head to maneuver in the water.

Fish have muscle under their skin, and their skeleton is embedded under that muscle and other meat.

Another clear difference is that shrimps have limbs (10 sets of legs) while fish don’t really have limbs. Fish have a series of fins, but no legs or arms.

Their fins help them steer and propel themselves, but they swim to reach their destination and cannot walk. They also have no arms to feed themselves. They depend solely on your mouth.

As you can see, fish bodies are very different from fish bodies and here we see clear differences from top to bottom that really differentiate these two categories.

Here are some common types of fish you may meet.

• Catfish
• Bass
• Salmon
• cod herring
• Rainbow trout
• perch mackerel
• Shark
• tilapia
• mahi-mahi
• Large tent
• snapper
• Tuna
• halibut

This list of fish could easily go on. We simply share here some of the most common or popular types of fish.

Are prawns shellfish?

Both fish and shrimp are shellfish. This is where the confusion usually arises. When an item is classified as shellfish, people often mistake them for the same thing.

Shellfish is a broad category that encompasses almost any sea animal that can be eaten or caught. You can cover them all. Here are some for reference.

• Fish
• prawns
• prawns
• Octopus
• Crab
• River crab
• Locust
• Sea urchins
• scallops
• mussels

You get the idea, right? Shellfish is a kind of umbrella that really encompasses all creatures in the sea, including fish and shrimp.

You must understand that shellfish is simply a term that describes food that comes from bodies of water.

Although sea primarily refers to saltwater locations, it can actually refer to any body of water, and you’ll see that some shellfish come from places like lakes and rivers, rather than the sea or ocean.

There are a lot of different species that fall into the shellfish category.

What is shellfish?

Prawns are considered a shellfish, rather than a fish, so let’s talk about what exactly shellfish is.

When it comes to allergy issues, many people are allergic to shellfish, but not necessarily to fish or shellfish. It’s something specific to shellfish that usually triggers allergic reactions for most.

Shellfish is a term used to define shellfish that have an exoskeleton. We’ve already touched on it briefly, but we want to dig a little deeper into the topic.

Things like clams, mollusks, scallops, shrimp, crab, and lobster all fall under the shellfish category. There are also other shellfish that are not included in those examples.

Shellfish is defined as an aquatic mollusk or crustacean with a shell, especially an edible one.

As you can see, this covers quite a wide range, but mainly you can consider anything with a shell that is an aquatic animal to fall into this category.

Ultimately, seafood refers to both fish and shellfish, and under each of these categories is a wide variety and different styles, and even more categories.

However, this is where you need to differentiate. Fish and shellfish are the two main categories of shellfish, and prawns are considered shellfish and therefore not fish.

What is a crustacean? Are the prawns?

Here we find the point of definition of the prawns. Prawns are considered crustaceans, which fall under the category of shellfish.

Crustaceans is still a fairly broad category and includes things like crabs, lobsters, lobsters, and shrimps.

Crustaceans have an exoskeleton and do not have any other shell or frame outside of that exoskeleton.

In some cases, it may seem like that shell is a defining factor (as in the case of a lobster or shrimp), but the exoskeleton is still very flexible and designed to be a piece of armor for the animal.

All crustaceans turn a reddish or coral color when you cook them , regardless of what they are. How are crustaceans different from mollusks?

Crustaceans differ by having a hard crust or shell that still allows them to have identifiable limbs or appendages that can be used.

For example, we have previously determined that shrimps have 10 sets of legs. Despite their shell, they can move and control those legs.

You can see a similar trait in shrimps, crayfish, lobsters, and crabs. They also have a shell or exoskeleton, but they still have limbs.

Mollusks are a bit different. Mollusks live inside their shells or hard crusts. They have soft bodies that are contained in the shell. They do not have limbs in the mollusk category.

Mollusks are also a broad category, but they are clearly different from crustaceans in this regard.

Related questions

We hope you find this guide to understanding if a shrimp is a fish and what the real differences are a useful resource.

These categories are certainly broad and easy to misinterpret, but if you remember that fish are fish and shrimp are crustaceans, you’ll be fine!

Take a look at our Q&A section for some additional details that you may find useful.

Are prawns a type of fish?

No, they are not. Prawns are considered shellfish, and fish is a whole other category of shellfish.

Prawns are crustaceans, which have a distinctly different body and build than fish. Remember that shrimps have an exoskeleton, while fish do not. 

What is the vein in the prawns?

That vein you see in the shrimp is actually their digestive tract. It is your gut that works much like the gut of a human organ.

When you eat a shrimp and it has this vein, it usually has grit or has been emptied, but it may have what was in the gut when the shrimp was caught.

You can also find deveined shrimp if you are concerned, but eating shrimp with the vein still present is not at all dangerous or harmful to the human body. 

Are prawns meat?

Prawns are a type of meat. Although they are shellfish, they have a distinctive meat on their body that people eat.

If you look at it from a vegetarian point of view, there are some vegetarians who eat fish and shellfish. In this case, it’s considered meat, but it’s shellfish, so it may be acceptable.