The Best Spot Prawn Recipe

When it comes to seasonal delicacies, spot prawns rank highly on the "drop everything and eat" scale. That’s because in addition to their sweet flesh and deep-fry-able heads (we feel very "the evil singing French chef from The Little Mermaid" saying that but WHATEVER, YUM) these polka-dotted crustaceans boast some of the lowest by-catch rates and most minimal habitant impacts of any oceanic harvest. Sustainable and delicious, they’re the local-foodie dream. In addition to stopping by Vancouver’s 9th Annual Spot Prawn Fest at Fisherman’s Wharf May 17th (where a ticket nabs you three prawns with fixin’s and R&B Brewing beer) we’re planning on celebrating with a big ol’ prawn boil, specifically this recipe, courtesy of Campagnolo ROMA chef Joachim Hayward. Chorizo, fennel, potatoes, and a hot pink heap of prawns to tear apart with our hands. Basically: heaven. —Adrienne Matei

BC Spot Prawn Boil Recipe, Joachim Hayward Campagnolo ROMA

Court Bouillon
1 onion, sliced
1 head of garlic, cut in half
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 branch of celery, sliced
4 jalapenos, sliced
1 head of fennel, sliced
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch thyme
4 bay leaves
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
3 lemons zested and juiced
8 litres water

Bring all ingredients, except lemon zest and juice, to a boil in a heavy nonreactive
pot. Turn off and let steep for one hour. At the 50 minute-mark, stir
in the lemon zest and juice. At the one-hour mark, strain through
cheesecloth. Discard solids and keep the liquid.

For the Boil
5 lbs live spot prawns, the fresher the better
10 new potatoes cut in half
250 grams dry cured chorizo, sliced into rounds
1 cup fresh peas
2 bunches of scallion, cleaned
2 bunches of radishes, sliced thin

Bring the court bouillon to a simmer in a large pot outfitted with a strainer. A pasta pot works well. Add in the new potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add in the chorizo, and cook for another five minutes. Add in the live spot prawns, peas and scallions. Cook for about four minutes and add in the radishes. Stir around and strain. Pour out onto a newspaperlined table top and ask your guests to dig in. Enjoy!