Nutritional value of Arctic shrimp roe

Nutritional value of Arctic shrimp roe

The roe of Arctic shrimps may be in the head or in the abdomen. The location of the roe varies depending on the time of year.

The seeds in the head of Arctic shrimp are actually eggs that have matured but not yet been discharged from the ovaries, and the seeds in the abdomen are fertilized eggs. The seeds in the head taste better because the nutrients have not yet been absorbed by the shrimp embryo.

Arctic shrimps caught before July and August usually have roe on their heads. After August, shrimps caught after that usually have roe on their bellies.

The eggs of Arctic shrimp are on the belly, and those in other parts of the body are flying eggs.

Arctic shrimps grow on the seafloor below 200-250 meters and feed on zooplankton in the deep sea. These zooplankton in the deep sea are brown and black because they do not see sunlight all year round. The stomach of Arctic shrimps is not located in the abdomen like that of ordinary marine fish, but in the head. Arctic shrimps prey on these zooplankton, so their heads (i.e. stomachs) naturally appear faintly brown or black, especially when they are full. Some female shrimps even have mature shrimp eggs in their ovaries, so the heads of these shrimps appear dark green.

Arctic shrimps are caught directly from the deep sea using large trawl nets. They are dragged directly onto the boat from the deep sea of ​​200 to 300 meters. Sometimes, due to the fast speed of hauling the net, the water depth where the Arctic shrimps live changes dramatically in a short period of time. Due to the rapid change in atmospheric pressure, the shrimp heads (stomachs) are easily ruptured, and the zooplankton inside also spreads out. In this way, the originally vaguely black stomach contents (zooplankton) appear, which is the real reason for the so-called "black head".