In biological terms, shrimp and prawns belong to the same broad family of decapod crustaceans, meaning they’re shelled marine creatures with ten legs.

However, the two creatures fall under different suborders within that family. Shrimps are in the Pleocyemata suborder, and prawns in the Dendrobranchiata one.

Belonging to different suborders, the two creatures have some physical differences. While shrimps have two pincers, prawns have six, with a front pair that is particularly large.

Prawns release their eggs into the water, while shrimp carry them on their body. Having rigid shells, prawns have straighter bodies, but shrimp have more flexible shells that bend.

There are a few linguistic quirks around the creatures’ names. For example, British people use “prawn” as a word for both creatures, while Americans use “shrimp” in the same way.

Some varieties of shrimps and prawns are even named for the other species. For example, spot prawns are a type of shrimp, while ridgeback shrimp are a type of prawn.

Shrimp and prawns are generally sourced from saltwater and freshwater, respectively, but both can live in either type of water and the water type doesn’t affect their flavors.

Since prawns and shrimp share a near-identical taste, even though prawns tend to be larger and pricier, you can use the two shellfish interchangeably in any recipe.