Head to head
Norway Lobster vs Common Prawn
Norway Lobster
VS Common Prawn
The Norway lobster is sometimes called the Dublin Bay prawn, which confuses many diners, so it is worth setting it beside a real prawn of European shores.
| Norway Lobster | Common Prawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Nephrops norvegicus | Palaemon serratus |
| Group | A small lobster, with large claws | A true prawn, with slender legs and no large claws |
| Appearance | A slender, pale orange-pink body with long, narrow claws and kidney-shaped black eyes | A transparent body marked with fine purple-brown bands and spots, and a long, upturned, toothed snout |
| Size | Usually 15 to 25 cm long | Usually 6 to 11 cm long |
| Habitat | Burrows in soft mud on the seabed, from the shallows to hundreds of metres deep | Rock pools, kelp, and the shallows of rocky shores, hiding in crevices and under weed |
| Diet | Worms, small crustaceans, molluscs, and carrion found on and in the mud | Small crustaceans, worms, algae, and dead animals among the rocks and weed |
| On the plate | The target of a valuable trawl fishery, sold whole as langoustine or as tails called scampi | Caught and eaten in many places, especially Spain, Portugal, and France |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, with stocks managed with quotas | Not Evaluated, but abundant on rocky shores |
Norway Lobster vs Common Prawn: common questions
Is a Dublin Bay prawn a prawn?
No, it is a Norway lobster, a small clawed lobster, and the name comes from the fishery in Dublin Bay.
Which one has claws?
The Norway lobster, which has long, narrow claws, whereas the common prawn has no large claws.
Which one lives in rock pools?
The common prawn, which lives in rock pools, among kelp, and in the shallows of rocky shores.