Are There Any Substitutes for Shrimp?

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn, and the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
Follow
published Aug 6, 2010
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Liz Vidyarthi)

Q: Are there any substitutes for shrimp? I adore shrimp, but my husband is allergic. I’m dying to try shrimp recipes, but he can’t eat it.

Sent by Tracy

Editor: Tracy, I think this depends on the nature of your husband’s allergy. Often people who are allergic to shrimp are simply allergic to all forms of shellfish. If this is the case, you’re out of luck. Get your shrimp fix when you eat out, or when he’s away on business trips.

However, if he is allergic specifically to shrimp, then you might want to look into langostina tails (I get these frozen in bags from Trader Joe’s). This is similar to shrimp, but not the same; the langostina is related to the lobster as well as to the shrimp. You can also substitute lobster tails.

• Read more: Lobsterette and langostino at CHOW

But again, this depends on your husband, and if he has a life-threatening allergy you should check with his doctor before incorporating any other sort of shellfish into your diet.

Next question?

Related: Recipe: Tomato-Cilantro Shrimp

(Images: Liz Vidyarthi)

Filed in:
Ingredient