Butterfly Shrimp
Butterfly is the workhorse of private-label breaded shrimp — the cut that maximises portion size and crunch. We co-develop it to your crumb, shrimp grade and pack, ready for your range.
Tell us about your market and product requirements.
Product overview
Peeled, butterflied, tail-on shrimp — the widest breading surface for crunch. Appetiser, party food, or a dinner-plate centre with chips, rice or salad. Jumbo retail boxes to family packs and value cutlet packs.
Applications
- Retail frozen
- Foodservice
- Party & sharing
Product information
Reference data for the displayed configuration. Confirm the final specification for your market before launch.
- Species
- Vannamei
- Cut
- Butterfly, tail-on, opened flat
- Coating system
- Classic breadcrumb or panko; garlic & herb pan-sear line
- Coating share
- ~40–55% coating / 35–50% seafood (tunable)
- Ingredients
- Shrimp, Wheat flour, Enriched wheat flour (niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Vegetable oil, Modified corn starch, Tapioca starch, Salt, Sugar, Yeast, Leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda), Whey, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Spices, Sodium tripolyphosphate, Sodium bisulphite.
- Allergens
- Shrimp (crustacean), wheat; milk and soy in some recipes
- Basis
- per 100 g / per serving (85 g)
- Energy
- 214 kcal / 182 kcal
- Fat
- 12.9 g / 11 g
- of which saturates
- 1.7 g / 1.4 g
- of which trans
- 0 g / 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 47.1 mg / 40 mg
- Sodium
- 518.2 mg / 440.5 mg (19% DV per serving)
- Carbohydrate
- 24.7 g / 21 g
- of which fibre
- 0.6 g / 0.5 g
- of which sugars
- 0 g / 0 g
- Protein
- 9.1 g / 7.7 g
- Vitamin D
- 0 mcg / 0 mcg
- Calcium
- 35.7 mg / 30.3 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg / 1 mg
- Potassium
- 100 mg / 85 mg
- Sodium · market requirement
- Final sodium target is set per destination market. For Canada and the US, the formulation is reviewed against the applicable front-of-pack and sodium-claim thresholds before launch.
- Cook target
- 145–165°F (63–74°C) depending on spec
- Cooking
- Oven 425–450°F 11–19 min · air fry 390–400°F 7–13 min · deep fry 350°F 2.5–3.5 min · skillet 5–7 min
Packaging, storage temperature and shelf life are confirmed per the agreed specification.
Options & variations
Indicative configurations for this product line. Pack format, shrimp count, coating, treatment and preparation can be specified to your brief — not every combination is standard, so confirm availability before the first sample.
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The development opportunity
An evidence-based view of why this format exists, where it sells, and what to develop. Product-line counts come from Ecosea's own market scan; market figures are from public sources, linked below.
Market rationaleWhy this format?
Breaded butterfly shrimp is a mature, format-friendly value-added category with a proven retail base across the US, Canada and Australia, and it is one of the few growing pockets in an otherwise flat shrimp trade. The butterflied cut gives a broad, flat, tail-on surface that takes a coating evenly and reads as 'restaurant-style' on pack, while the breading lets a supplier hold a repeatable specification (shrimp size, breading ratio, count) and stretch it across snack, family and bulk packs. US breaded shrimp was the only major shrimp import category to grow in early 2026 (+17% year-on-year), processed/breaded shrimp is roughly a USD 1 billion-per-year US plant-gate category, and shrimp and prawns are Canada's second-largest seafood import by value.
Where it playsChannel and occasion
Retail frozen seafood as single-serve/snack boxes (about 9-10 oz) and family/party packs (about 330-500 g, or 18 oz); foodservice and appetiser menus through large bulk multipacks (24-48 oz). Occasions: appetiser, snack, party platter, family dinner, and topping for tacos, bowls and sliders. Tail-on, butterflied, IQF farm-raised shrimp prepared mainly by oven or air fryer dominate the set.
Product propositionWhat to differentiate?
Coating and shrimp-to-breading ratio: the category splits between classic breadcrumb and panko, so claim one and publish a breading-percentage and shrimp-size spec; complaints about heavy breading around thin shrimp make a visible 'more shrimp, less breading' ratio a concrete claim. Cook-method coverage: almost every listing ships oven instructions and most add air fryer and/or fryer, so a tested time-and-temperature spec across all three is a low-cost differentiator. Claims and sourcing: lead with verifiable label claims already common in the set - responsibly sourced, no artificial colours or flavours, zero trans fat, IQF, and a gluten-free crumb option - plus pack-format flexibility.
References
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Share your benchmark, launch window, target cost and intended channel to frame the next evaluation.
Related products
View all products ↗Bring this concept into your development pipeline.
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