Types of Shrimp: 5 NOAA Shrimp Species and USDA Values

Types of shrimp with their own NOAA species pages include brown, white and pink shrimp, brown rock shrimp and Atlantic northern shrimp. This guide lists those five shrimp species with NOAA’s scientific names and other names, ranks five USDA SR Legacy shrimp entries by protein per 3 ounces with the FDA percent Daily Value, and adds FDA’s allergen and mercury facts and CDC’s advice on cooking seafood. For crab, see our sibling guide to types of crab.

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Types of shrimp described by NOAA

NOAA species pages give a scientific name, the other names people use and a range or U.S. source for each species. The table lists five shrimp species from those pages, as NOAA gives them; the other names column shows a few of the names NOAA lists for each.

NOAA describes brown, pink and white shrimp in similar terms: crustaceans with 10 slender, relatively long walking legs and five pairs of swimming legs on the front surface of the abdomen. NOAA tells them apart by the tail and shell. Brown shrimp tails usually have a purple to reddish purple band, pink shrimp tails usually have a dark blue band and a dark-colored spot on each side between the third and fourth abdominal segments, and white shrimp have a carapace that is not grooved and antennae 2.5 to 3 times longer than their body length, according to NOAA.

NOAA says brown shrimp can reach up to 7 inches in length, and that young pink shrimp live and grow in nursery areas with marsh grasses in the South Atlantic and the Gulf. NOAA describes the taste of all three as flavorful and sweet and the texture of brown shrimp as firm and of pink shrimp as tender, and says white shrimp are slightly more tender than other shrimp, with shells that are somewhat softer and easier to peel. For all three, NOAA says the cooked shells are pinkish-red and the cooked meat is pearly white with pink and red shadings.

NOAA calls brown rock shrimp the deep-water cousin of white, pink and brown shrimp. NOAA describes a thick, rigid, stony shell, legs that are red to reddish-purple and barred with white, and an abdomen with deep transverse grooves, and says brown rock shrimp mainly live on sand bottoms in water 80 to 215 feet deep. NOAA notes that they are often called the “little shrimp with a big lobster taste” and describes the texture as firm.

NOAA says Atlantic northern shrimp are crustaceans, like lobsters and crabs, but much smaller than warm-water shrimp, averaging 2 to 4 inches in length, and that their tails and bodies are more red than pink when alive. According to NOAA, northern shrimp begin life as males and later transform to females, live on soft mud bottoms in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Arctic Oceans, and are also found and harvested on the West Coast and in Alaska. NOAA says fishing for Atlantic northern shrimp is prohibited, with a fishing moratorium in place since 2014.

Shrimp ranked by protein in USDA data

The table lists the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy mixed-species shrimp entries at 3 ounces (85 grams), ranked by protein: cooked with moist heat, breaded and fried, canned, uncooked, and imitation shrimp made from surimi. USDA’s other two shrimp entries have no B12 value and are left out. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values of 78 grams for total fat, 2,300 milligrams for sodium, 11 milligrams for zinc and 2.4 micrograms for B12; protein has no %DV here because the FDA labeling rule bases a protein %DV on an amount corrected for protein quality.

In USDA data, the cooked moist-heat shrimp entry lists about 19.4 grams of protein per 3 ounces, breaded and fried shrimp 18.2 grams and canned shrimp 17.4 grams. The uncooked mixed-species entry lists 11.6 grams per 3 ounces in USDA data, and the USDA imitation shrimp entry, made from surimi, 10.5 grams. Our shrimp guide covers a single shrimp entry in more detail, and lean protein foods ranks other foods.

The breaded and fried entry differs most in fat: USDA lists about 10.4 grams of total fat per 3 ounces, 13% of the FDA Daily Value, against 1.4 grams for the moist-heat entry, and 206 calories against 101. USDA notes that its cooked and uncooked mixed-species shrimp entries may contain additives to retain moisture. USDA lists 805 milligrams of sodium per 3 ounces for the cooked entry, 35% of the FDA Daily Value, and 740 milligrams for canned shrimp, against 292 milligrams for breaded and fried shrimp. The Nutrition Facts label on a package is the figure for that product; see also low sodium foods.

USDA lists 1.2 to 1.7 milligrams of zinc and 0.6 to 1.6 micrograms of B12 per 3 ounces for the cooked, fried and canned shrimp entries; the four cooked crab entries in our sibling guide list 3.1 to 6.5 milligrams of zinc and 2.8 to 9.8 micrograms of B12 in USDA data. See also foods high in zinc and vitamin B12.

Shrimp as a major food allergen

FDA lists crustacean shellfish, “like crab, lobster, and shrimp,” among the nine major food allergens. FDA’s allergen guidance (Edition 5, January 2025, nonbinding) says crustacean shellfish “(such as crab, lobster, or shrimp)” and ingredients that contain protein derived from them are major food allergens, while molluscan shellfish such as oysters, clams, mussels or scallops are not. FDA says the law requires the species of crustacean shellfish to be declared, so an ingredient list or “Contains” statement cannot broadly declare crustacean shellfish. FDA’s labeling rules do not replace an allergist’s advice about a specific food.

Shrimp on the FDA and EPA mercury chart

FDA and EPA wrote their “Advice about Eating Fish” for people who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding and for parents and caregivers feeding children, and a healthcare provider can answer questions about a specific situation. FDA says the chart “can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels,” and notes that the advice refers to fish and shellfish together as fish. The FDA chart (advice revised October 2021) lists shrimp in its lowest-mercury category, along with crab, lobster, crawfish, clams, oysters and scallops. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, from USDA and HHS, say “mercury, in the form of methylmercury, is found in seafood in varying levels.”

Cooking shrimp and other seafood

CDC says Vibrio naturally live in coastal waters, and CDC’s advice covers seafood broadly: “Do not eat raw or undercooked oysters or other seafood. Cook them before eating.” CDC also says not to let raw seafood, its drippings or its juices contaminate other foods, and to wash hands with soap and water after handling raw shellfish.

Other shrimp names and shrimp species

NOAA lists deep water prawn among the other names for Atlantic northern shrimp, and brownies, redtail shrimp and summer shrimp among the names for brown shrimp, so one common name can point to more than one NOAA species, as pink shrimp does. USDA SR Legacy names its shrimp entries as mixed species and has no separate entry for brown, white, pink or rock shrimp.

For other crustaceans, see our guides to lobster and crawfish. Our guide to types of shellfish covers crustaceans and mollusks together, and types of fish covers finfish.

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Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Types of Crab: NOAA Crab Species and 6 USDA Crab Entries, Shrimp Nutrition: Protein, Calories and Is Shrimp Healthy?, Types of Shellfish: 16 Kinds With USDA Values and FDA Facts, Types of Crab: NOAA Crab Species and 6 USDA Crab Entries.