What is the difference between Carabineros prawns and Palamós prawns ?

The scientific name for Carabineros is Plesiopenaeus edwardsianus.

These large deep-sea prawns are called Carabineros in Spanish, scarlet shrimp or cardinal prawns in English, and Crevette Imperial in French.

Carabineros prawns come mostly from the east Atlantic coast and usually live in deep water. You can find them in the waters around Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco, and all the way down to South Africa.

Carabineros (Pleoticus robustus) are the world’s largest commercially harvested prawns, routinely reaching 30–40 cm in length and weighing up to 200 g each. Their vivid scarlet shell, present even before cooking, makes visual doneness cues unreliable, so chefs typically rely on internal temperature rather than color.

The scientific name for Gamba de Palamós is Aristeus antennatus.

“Gamba de Palamós” or prawn from Palamós in English, comes from the northwest Mediterranean sea town of Palamós, north of Barcelona, where they are living in a protected environment and are fished under strict, sustainable regulations. This same species can also be found along the Mediterranean sea, along the Spanish coast.

Palamós prawns are considered the best in the world, and are valued for their firm and tasty meat. We wrote an entire article about them, if you want to know more about the Gamba de Palamós.

To be able to fish and sell them, and brand them as Gamba de Palamós, the boats, gear, and the companies need to have a special certification.

With our unique food selection, mmmediterranean is the only company distributing authentic Gamba de Palamós in the United-States.

Compared to Carabineros prawns, Palamós prawns have a lighter color,are smaller in size, and taste differently due to their living environment.

Carabineros prawns don’t hold an official brand or label, whereas Palamós prawns do.

Palamós prawns can only be found and fished in the Palamós region off the Spanish shores in the Mediterranean Sea. Carabineros prawns can be found all along the east Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea.

Carabineros prawns lives in deep water whereas Palamós prawns lives close to the shore.

There are stringent fishing restrictions concerning prawns from Palamós while none exist for the Carabineros prawns.

Finally, Carabineros prawns have a different taste than Palamós prawns. Carabineros taste will be closer to a traditional seafood taste, where Palamós prawns will have almost a lobster and vanilla taste.

Palamós prawns (Aristeus antennatus) and Carabineros (Pleoticus robustus) are both scarce in the U.S. market, but Palamós prawns command a significantly higher retail price, often 20–40% more, because they carry a protected geographical indication (PGI) label issued under EU Regulation No 1151/2012, which restricts the name exclusively to prawns caught off Palamós, Catalonia (EU Regulation No 1151/2012; Generalitat de Catalunya, Marca de Garantia Gamba de Palamós, 2015). To avoid confusion, always verify the scientific name on the packaging: Aristeus antennatus for Palamós and Pleoticus robustus for Carabineros. Color also helps, Carabineros display a deeper scarlet, while Palamós prawns show a lighter rose-pink hue even when raw.

mmmediterranean specializes in sourcing both Palamós prawns (Aristeus antennatus) and Carabineros prawns (Plesiopenaeus edwardsianus) for the U.S. market, where both species remain rare imports. The side-by-side image above illustrates their distinct coloration and size differences. For sourcing inquiries, mmmediterranean’s distribution team is available to assist buyers and chefs directly.

Bon appétit!