Do you like lobsters? Do you hate lobsters? Do you neither like nor hate lobsters? Step right up! You will all love Thai river prawns.

The closest thing to Thai river prawns is probably lobsters, although they are nothing like each other. Where lobsters might be tough, Thai river prawns are tender. Where lobsters might be bland, Thai river prawns are all-over savory. Where lobsters might be hard to shuck, Thai river prawns are pre-shucked and ready to eat.

The best place to get Thai river prawns is a sit-down seafood restaurant next to a river. If you’re lucky, the prawns come right out of that river, although nowadays they likely come from a farm. You will get a chance to meet your food alive as most places sell by weight and let you pick the prawns right out of the tank. The cook will then cut it right down the middle and grill it until the meat is al dente and the tamale turns deliciously orange. Forget butter and dip that tender white meat in Thai seafood sauce, made of ground chili, garlic, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce. But before you do that, spoon that tamale out first so you can make sure you don’t spill any, because it is the best part. Put the spoon straight in your mouth or mix it in with rice for added nutty and savory seafood flavors. Break the claws and pull out stripes of meat, then suck leftover meat out of the head before throwing out the shells, but carefully so as not to eat the eyes by mistake.

But if you’re really into eyes, go ahead and eat them too. It’s probably still safe and savory.

The Eating Adventure is an attempt to explore our wonderful world, one dish at a time.

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