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The
Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB), in association with
Royal Greenland, has created the World's Largest Prawn Cocktail.
The Prawn Cocktail was
constructed in a 1.5m tall champagne glass and consisted of 50kg of
sustainable prawns (the equivalent of 550 regular portions) supplied
by Royal Greenland, the world's largest supplier of cold-water prawns.
In addition, a crate of lettuces and over 10 litres of Marie Rose
sauce were used in the preparation.
Once completed the Prawn Cocktail
formed the centrepiece of a buffet for 350 guests at Fishmonger's
Hall - but not before photographic evidence of the prawn cocktail
construction was taken so that it could be sent to Guinness World
Records for accreditation.
The World's largest prawn
cocktail was part of an on-going campaign by the Shellfish
Association of Great Britain to raise awareness of the health
benefits of eating seafood and to put a stop to the 'old wives' tale'
that certain shellfish (particularly prawns) raise cholesterol.
Recent research funded by the shellfish industry has revealed it is
the amount of saturated fat in the diet that has a greater effect in
raising blood cholesterol rather than the amount of cholesterol in
the diet.
So while dietary cholesterol is
present in prawns, crabs and lobsters, as well as in squid and
octopus, they all contain very little saturated fat and for most
people do not cause a rise in the level of cholesterol in the blood.
The findings are supported by The
UK Medical Research Council's Collaborative Centre for Human
Nutrition Research that has noted "dietary advice should
focus on the type of fat in the diet. Individuals with high blood
cholesterol often mistakenly seek out and actively avoid foods that
are rich in cholesterol such as shellfish, whereas the key issue is
to decrease saturated fatty acids."
A recent study carried out by the
Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences at University of Surrey also
concluded that there was "evidence to suggest that the intake
of cold water prawns should not be restricted on the grounds of this
food exerting an adverse effect on blood cholesterol."
Shellfish are excellent sources
of protein; a 100g serving of shellfish provides about 10-25g of
protein, roughly a third to half of the average UK recommended
protein intake. The protein in shellfish is of high quality,
containing many essential amino acids and, because of a lack of
connective tissue, very digestible for people of all ages. Shellfish
are also generally lower in fat, less than 5%, and accordingly
contain fewer calories than beef, poultry or pork. For example, a
100g portion of prawns (a typical prawn cocktail amount) contains
only 0.2g of saturated fat and 76 calories, whilst 100g of beef mince
contains 6.9g and 225 calories.
Different shellfish contain
different amounts of omega 3 fatty acids. Overall shellfish contain
similar amount to whitefish such as cod and haddock, but crab,
mussels and oysters are particularly rich sources, a 100g portion of
each providing a third of the recommended weekly intake of omega 3!
Shellfish are also loaded with
vitamins and minerals. Half a dozen oysters provide approximately 10%
of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A while a cocktail amount
of prawns provide around 50% of the recommended daily amount of
vitamin E. There is little Vitamin C found in shellfish, but all
shellfish are good sources of the B complex vitamins, particularly
B12 with most species exceeding the recommended daily amount by at
least 200%.
Seafood in general is an
excellent source of minerals. Shellfish are especially valuable
sources of copper, iodine and zinc. Other minerals in shellfish
include iron (cockles, oysters and mussels), selenium (crab, octopus,
squid, lobster, shrimps and mussels). Shellfish are also high in
potassium, with most species providing 10% of the recommended daily
amount per 100g serving.
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