There is brown, white and pink shrimp. Supposedly they taste a little different. I don't pay any attention and get whatever is around of the size that I want.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/how-to-pick-shrimp-varieties-freshness-guide.html#classic

The bigger the better. Check the count - number of shrimp per pound. The lower that number, the larger the shrimp. If you're going to beer batter them, you want the largest shrimp you can find.

If they are pinky but uncooked could be Argentinian shrimp which apparently taste more like lobster.

Aha! They are indeed Argentine! Thank-you, Provogal! I tried Google Images, and saw some that looked similar. I won't worry. They look amazingly like cooked though they're obviously not. :)

Dcarch, these are easier to peel than that! They're pre-prepped, heads, shells and innards all removed and ready to cook. :)

Ricky, they're not small. They're the normal size for fried shrimp around here.

Johnliu, interesting and informative article, thanks! The pictures showed them shells on, though. And reminded me that "shrimp/prawn" refers to any of 11 species. :)

fawnridge... was in Wegman's one time and saw these massive shrimp. at first i thought it was a case of "if you have to ask, you probably can't afford them" cuz price was really small on sign. they were marked 3-4/lb! that's QUARTER POUND shrimp! they were something like $25/lb!

I usually buy the Florida pink shrimp at Publix or Costco. I can't remember the size at Costco, but at Publix they come in a 1 pound bag. They are flash frozen on the boat. You can usually get medium or large, sometimes extra large.

I also get seafood from our local seafood place that drives to the gulf every Wednesday and brings back fresh. They had some huge shrimp one time that I also didn't ask the price!

Next question: The first round was declared "really good". More were requested after the main meal was eaten. The coating fell off!

Any clues why?

Differences: The shrimp were more defrosted. The baking powder in the batter had already discharged the "when wet" part (though it still rose in the heat). I thought the oil was good and hot, but maybe the pan (cast iron) wasn't as hot as before? Something else?

Don't know why your batter fell off!

Unusually panko prawns and serve with an avocado mousse. Or straighten out the prawn on a stick and wrap in Parma ham and fry til crisp. Or wrap in fill.....love prawns.