Dried Prawn of Sandakan

Edited on the 10thMay, 2008. No more on offer at eBay. Too troublesome for international export.

This dried prawn is from Sandakan, the finest in Malaysia. The prawns

or shrimps in Sandakan is well known for its delicious taste when
still fresh. Because small sized prawns fetch a very low price, they
are usually dried.

The process of drying is primitive. Sandakan, despite its large sea
food produce does not have any freeze drying facility. There is not
enough electricity for Sabah in order to set up any heavy industry. It
does not even have enough electricity for residential uses with the
frequent electric power failures.

The fresh prawn is first boiled, before they are sun-dried. It is only
slightly salty unlike the salted dried fish. The salt is used as a
preservative without destroying its prawny flavour.

You can eat it raw because it is already cooked. It is best added to
normal food as though it is fresh prawn in a grounded form.

It may appear that this prawn is just a normal prawn but Sandakan bay
is unique in the world. It makes the prawns taste differently compared
to other parts of Sabah. Conservation efforts is virtually non-
existent. The amount of prawn is getting less and less every year, in
favour of cultured tiger prawns that are less delicious than these
prawns, that we call paper prawns. For example, in West Malaysia,
there is no more dried prawn of this quality. Even at Kota Kinabalu,
only 350 km away, you cannot find it as fresh as this.