What’s the difference between Prawns and Shrimp?

You’ve seen both terms. Maybe you’ve pretended to know the difference. The answer is . . . there is no difference. Basically, it all depends on where you come from. In Britain and former British colonies, all shrimp are called prawns. In the United States, especially in the Northeast, “prawn” was used to describe large (and thus more expensive) shrimp. In a restaurant, you can charge more for “prawns” than “shrimp”! In the South, all shrimp are generally referred to as “shrimp,” irrespective of size.