If you’ve noticed a seafood-loving family member or friend smiling more broadly recently, it’s likely because B.C. spot prawns are in season. After a feast of these succulent crustaceans, life always seems better. If you’ve yet to try them, or would like more information, read on.
What is a spot prawn?
Wild spot prawns are the largest of the seven shrimp species commercially harvested off the B.C. coast. Two distinctive white spots on each side of their tails explain their name. The spot-prawn fishery is designed to be sustainable and that work has been recognized by the David Suzuki Foundation Seachoice program, which calls spot prawns a “best choice” for consumers.
Where and how to buy
Spot prawns can be purchased at some supermarkets, stand-alone seafood stores, and directly from fishers. For a list of the latter, go to the B.C. spot-prawn fishers’ website, wildbcspotprawns.com, and click on “where to buy.”
Depending on the outlet, you’ll see fresh spot prawn tails for sale, and/or whole live or recently live ones.
When purchasing fresh spot-prawn tails, ensure they feel firm, are not overly curled, have few or no black spots and smell of the sea with no hint of ammonia. It’s best to cook fresh spot-prawn tails the day you purchase them, but if they’re very fresh and kept well chilled in the refrigerator, you could store them for one day.
According to information on the website, when buying live spot prawns, look for lively, almost translucent specimens. The tail should be straight in line with the head, and the head should be firm to the touch, with no black colouration.
Soon after buying live prawns, get them into a cooler or on ice for the trip home and keep them well chilled once there. Do not leave live or recently live prawns for more than a few hours before cooking them or removing the heads. Spot prawns have an enzyme that begins to permeate through the tail, turning the meat mushy, and their quality can deteriorate quickly.
The head of the prawn can be removed from the tail by swiftly turning it and pulling it away from the tail. After the heads are removed, the tails should be thoroughly rinsed and kept refrigerated until needed.
How to prepare
Spot prawns cook in just a few minutes and can be prepared in ways similar to other large shrimp and prawns. Possible methods include grilling, broiling, steaming, roasting, poaching and frying, the latter being what I did in one of today’s recipes. Before cooking, the shell around the tail can be left on or removed, depending on your preference or the preparation.
Because they are so flavourful, they, like other local seafood such as Dungeness crab, don’t require a lot of embellishment. For example, I sometimes simply brush whole spot prawns or spot prawn tails with olive oil or melted butter and cook them directly on a hot grill for one or two minutes per side, until they’re bright pink and just slightly firm to the touch. If the tail feels overly soft, it’s not cooked through; if it’s gotten very firm, the prawn is overcooked. Once they’re cooked, I arrange the prawns on a platter with some lemon slices, set them on the table and let diners dig in. Add some cold beer or white wine and folks will be most happy.
If you’d prefer to cook spot prawns in a more complex way, you’re in luck. They work well with myriad flavours and can tastily be incorporated into a range of dishes, such as soups, pastas, stir-fries and, as I did in another of today’s recipes, paella.
If you need to peel a spot-prawn tail for a recipe, the seafood information-rich B.C. government website bcseafood.ca says to start the process by cutting down the middle of the back shell right to the tail tip with sharp kitchen scissors. Break open the shell and pull it off, leaving the tip of the tail attached. If you want, pull or wash out any dark intestinal vein material and it’s ready to use.
As you’ll see in today’s third recipe, broiled butterflied prawns, you can also cook the prawns with the flesh exposed and the shell still on. This gives the prawns an attractive appearance and added flavour from being cooked with the shell, and provides places for the flavourings to get trapped inside the prawn, tastily flavouring it as it cooks.
Spot-prawn festival
The first Victoria Spot Prawn Festival takes place this weekend in the historic Car Shop Building at Bayview Place in Vic West. This event, which showcases a range of sustainable B.C. seafood, kicks off Saturday night with a spectacular seven-course long table dinner paired with local beverages. The meal will be prepared by the Island Chefs’ Collaborative, a group of food and beverage professionals keen on the development of sustainable local food systems.
Some of the menu items include albacore tuna terrine, glazed geoduck and octopus served two ways, and garlic spot prawns with potato gnocchi, truffled cauliflower purée and bisque sauce. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the meal starts at 7. Tickets for the dinner, which are advance sales only, are $150 per person and can be purchased in Victoria at Cook Culture, Origin Bakery and the Rialto Hotel Wine Store.
On Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Spot Prawn Festival continues with a free-admission public event in the Car Shop Building. During the day, there will be chef demonstrations, local crafters, music, children’s activities and a series of informative talks presented by industry leaders, seafood experts and local foodies. There will also be plenty of food vendors selling good things to eat and fresh seafood sales on site. Organizers encourage participants to walk, cycle, bus or ferry to this no-smoking venue, as parking will be limited.
Spot Prawns in Local Beer Batter
Crisply coated, succulent prawns flavoured with local beer. Serve some of that beer with the prawns once cooked. The prawns can be served on their own as an appetizer or snack, or as a main dish served with coleslaw or green salad, and rice or oven-baked fries.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 3 to 4 minutes per batch of prawns
Makes: 4 (6-prawn-each) servings
24 spot-prawn tails
• vegetable or peanut oil for deep-frying
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
• pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup ice-cold micro-brewery lager or ale
• lemon slices, for garnish
• tartar or cocktail sauce, to taste, for dipping
Peel each prawn, leaving the tip of the tail attached. If noticeable, pull or wash out any dark intestinal vein material. Pat prawns dry with paper towel, set on a plate and keep refrigerated until needed.
Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 350 F. Preheat your oven to 200 F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
Place the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, paprika and cayenne into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the beer and whisk until you create a smooth batter.
Holding on to the tail of a prawn, deeply dip it into the batter, let excess batter drip off and carefully set the spot-prawn tail into your deep fryer. Quickly do this with five more prawns. Deep-fry the prawns, turning occasionally, until golden brown and puffed, about three to four minutes. Scoop the prawns out of the deep fryer, drain well, set on the wire rack and keep warm in the oven. Fry the rest of the prawns in this fashion.
When all are cooked, arrange the prawns on serving plates garnished with lemon slices. Serve with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce for dipping.
Spot Prawn Paella with Chorizo and Olives
B.C. prawns cooked up in a delicious Spanish-style rice dish.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About 30 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
1/2 tsp saffron threads (see Note)
2 Tbsp boiling water
20 spot-prawn tails
2 fresh chorizo sausages (each about 75 grams)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
8 cherry tomatoes, each quartered
1 1/2 cups long white grain rice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 cups chicken stock, and a little more as needed
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
16 to 20 whole black or green olives, or a mix of both
1/4 cup frozen peas
• lemon slices for garnish
Crumble the saffron threads into a small bowl. Add the boiling water and let saffron steep 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, use kitchen scissors to make a lengthwise slit along the back of each prawn (this will make them easier to peel and eat once cooked in the paella). Set on a plate and keep refrigerated until needed.
Remove the sausage from its casing, pull the meat into small nuggets, and then place them and the olive oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet or paella pan. Set over medium, to medium-high heat and cook the sausage until just cooked through. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until they are tender, about five minutes.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, rice and oregano and cook and stir for two more minutes. Mix in the stock, black pepper and steeped saffron and its liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook rice for 10 minutes.
Uncover and arrange prawns and olives on top of the rice, gently pushing and nestling them into the rice. Add a little more stock if the rice is looking overly dry. Cover and cook eight to 10 minutes more, or until prawns are cooked and rice is tender. Sprinkle with peas and let them heat through for a minute or two. Garnish paella with lemon slices.
Note: Saffron is sold in the bottled herb and spice aisle of some supermarkets. You’ll also find it for sale at specialty food stores.
Broiled Butterflied Spot Prawns with Butter, Hot Sauce and Lime
This is a tasty and, once butterflied, quick way to cook spot prawns for two. The recipe can be expanded if you’re feeding a larger group.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: About 5 minutes
Makes: 2 servings
14 to 16 spot prawn tails
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, or to taste
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• a few lime slices for garnish
To butterfly the prawns with the shell on, use kitchen scissors to make a lengthwise slit along the back of each prawn to expose the flesh. With a paring knife, cut almost all the way through the flesh down the centre of each prawn.
Pull or rinse out the dark intestinal vein, if there is one.
Open the flesh of each prawn and gently press on it to make it sit flat. Set the prawns, flesh side up, in a wide baking dish or large ovenproof skillet.
Set the oven rack six inches below the broiler. Preheat the broiler to high.
While broiler heats, place the butter, lime juice, stock, pepper sauce, cumin, paprika and garlic in a small pot and set over medium heat. Cook until the butter is just melted, and then pour the butter mixture over the prawns.
Broil the prawns three or four minutes until just cooked through. Divide and arrange the prawns on plates. Drizzle the pan juices over the top. Sprinkle with parsley, garnish with lime slices and serve.
Eric Akis is the author of the book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
