BC spot prawns
Photo: Gordon Leggett · CC BY 4.0

History

BC spot prawns (Pandalus platyceros) are caught in traps in the Strait of Georgia and the Inside Passage from mid-May into early summer, a six-to-eight-week window. The annual Spot Prawn Festival at False Creek Fishermen's Wharf in May, run by the Chefs' Table Society since 2008, is the calendar event. Top BC chefs treat the prawns simply, raw with citrus, grilled in the shell or quickly sauteed.

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Common allergens: Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g live or just-killed BC spot prawns
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 fresh red chilli, sliced
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Crusty bread to serve

Method

  1. Rinse the spot prawns under cold running water. If alive, plunge them into iced water for 2 minutes to dispatch.
  2. Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add olive oil and butter.
  3. When the butter foams, add garlic and sliced chilli. Cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Add the prawns to the pan in a single layer. Cook 90 seconds per side until just pink and curled. Do not overcook.
  5. Add lemon zest and juice off the heat. Toss to coat. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
  6. Tip the prawns onto a warm platter with all the pan juices. Scatter parsley over the top. Serve with bread to mop the butter.

Tip from the editors. Spot prawn season is short; buy from Granville Island Public Market or False Creek Fisherman's Wharf as soon as the season opens. Cook within 24 hours.

Where to eat bc spot prawns

BC spot prawns in Vancouver

Blue Water Cafe ★ 4.7

$$$$ Tasting $95-135SeafoodYaletownChef Frank Pabst

Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown under chef Frank Pabst since 2000 is Vancouver's reference seafood room, Ocean Wise certified and the Unsung Heroes host annual.

Book2 weeks out on OpenTable ahead

Directions Book

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar ★ 4.6

$$$$ Tasting $95-145SeafoodDowntownChef Roger Ma

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar at the Sutton Place Hotel under executive chef Roger Ma runs Vancouver's reference oyster bar plus a wood-fired Pacific menu.

Book2 weeks out on OpenTable ahead

Directions Book

Granville Island Public Market ★ 4.7

$$ Food hallGranville Island

Granville Island Public Market under the Granville Bridge since 1979 is Vancouver's reference indoor food hall, 50+ vendors, BC seafood and produce daily.

TipArrive before 11:00 to skip the cruise-ship lunch rush. Lee's Donuts and Siegel's Bagels are the local cult queues.

Directions

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