Skull Island Tiger Prawns: The Case for Giant U/6

A whole prawn, split and cooked over charcoal, doesn’t need much else. But when the dish is that simple, the quality of the ingredient matters.

At Red Coral, we’re stocking Skull Island Giant U/6 tiger prawns in 3kg boxes. For chefs looking for a substantial whole prawn with a clear Australian provenance, these deserve a look.

Wild-caught in the Gulf of Carpentaria

Skull Island is a real place, part of the Sir Edward Pellew Group off the Northern Territory coast. Austral catches the tiger prawns selected for the brand in the surrounding Gulf of Carpentaria waters, where seagrass beds and strong tidal movement support their natural habitat.

That’s a story worth putting on the menu. You can tell guests where the product comes from and who catches it, with something more specific to offer than “Australian prawns”.

A grade worth making a feature of

U/6 means fewer than six whole prawns per pound. This is Skull Island’s Giant grade, larger than its 6/8 Jumbo offering. The producer’s guide is approximately 35 prawns per 3kg box, although the actual count will vary.

For chefs looking to offer something more exclusive, we’d give this grade its own dish: a whole grilled prawn sold by the piece, a dedicated entrée or a limited-run special.

Keep the size visible. Butterfly them or serve them whole, and cost the dish from the actual box and your prepared yield.

Frozen at sea

The prawns are supplied raw and whole, snap frozen within 45 minutes of landing on the vessel’s deck. That handling is as much a part of the product’s story as where it was caught.

They’re also individually arranged in the carton using a method called finger laying, which helps make them easier to separate when preparing quantities for service.

Keep the cooking simple

Our starting point would be charcoal, garlic butter and lemon. Brown butter and finger lime would be another direction. Give the prawn room on the plate without burying it under too many components.

The menu description can be just as straightforward:

Charcoal-grilled Skull Island tiger prawn, garlic butter, lemon.

Skull Island Giant U/6 tiger prawns are now stocked at Red Coral in 3kg boxes.

Speak with our team about pricing and availability for your next menu or special.

Product is also available for Home Delivery through our website