Litopenaeus vannamie

Litopenaeus vannamie is also known as the white-leg shrimp, farm and caught in the Pacific Ocean in the Americas. This shrimp is commonly used for food, caught wild on the coast of Mexico and farm raised in the Americas.

This specific type of white shrimp is approved by the FDA, and should be the kind of white shrimp offered in stores.

Pacific Shrimp:
Shrimp found in the Pacific do not grow as fast because of the colder temperatures of the water. These Pacific shrimp are often caught at smaller sizes, and because they live in colder waters there is not many nutrients which makes it harder for larger shrimp populations to grow. Because of this most, Pacific shrimp are farmed. This means that they have a controlled diet and live in confined quarters, the system of fisheries allow the shrimp size and taste to be more consistent, than shrimp that are caught in the wild. This type of Pacific White Shrimp is often used for salads.

Mexico Shrimp:
While shrimp found on the coast of Mexico are usually caught wild. The warm waters provide a better environment for shrimp. The shrimp have a more diverse diet therefore the flavors of the shrimp are less predictable and grow larger. The shrimp also live in a larger environment than a farm so they are able to swim more and build more muscle which equates to a more firm and tasty shrimp.

For more information on our white shrimp, Google it, or check out some of our sources listed below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiteleg_shrimp

http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Litopenaeus_vannamei/en

http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-white-bro-1-149543