Spot Prawns are Here!
Try these sweet, plump shrimp that are only available for a few weeks each year
We’re well into May which means… it’s spot prawn season!
Spot prawns are crustaceans that have a distinctive reddish-brown body with white spots on their tails and white horizontal lines on their upper shell, or carapace.
These plump prawns can also be found along the coast of North America, from southern California all the way up to Alaska. They can also be found in the Sea of Japan and the Korean Straight.
In British Columbia, spot prawns are the largest shrimp species found in BC waters. About 2,450 metric tonnes of spot prawns are harvested in the province annually; 65 percent are caught between Vancouver Island and the mainland.
Ninety percent of the haul is frozen and exported overseas to Asia. The rest are enjoyed here in BC, with some sold in supermarkets, others in restaurants.
Today we bought some spot prawns in Steveston, south of Richmond, in Metro Vancouver. They were priced at C$22 per pound, alive and kicking.
To prepare them for eating, with kitchen shears, snip off the long antennae, legs and tail of each spot prawn. Then rinse them with water.
The best way to eat them is boiled. Heat up a pot of water and add a few slices of ginger.
As you wait for the water to boil, julienne some spring onions about two inches in length, along with some ginger. Put these in a bowl and add some oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, some water and add honey, agave or maple syrup to taste. Then you can microwave this mixture for one minute. For some heat, add fresh chillis or chilli crisp to your sauce.
When the water is boiling, add the prawns; if you have a lot, you can cook them in batches. Let them cook for about three-four minutes, when the body turns bright red and the tail curls tightly inward.
To eat, get your hands dirty by twisting the head of the prawn, then remove the shell from the body, dip the meat into the soy sauce mixture and enjoy the sweet taste of the prawn.
The spot prawn season is short, about six to eight weeks, so be sure to try some soon!