Maine cracks their lobsters, Alaska crowns their king crab, and the South boil their crawfish. In B.C., our seasonal, sustainable seafood sweetheart is the spot prawn.
You may recall them appearing in this festival, video, and recipe. Personally, I enjoy them served raw, with a smidge of soy and wasabi or the lightest mist of lemon juice.
Sucking the sweet and oceany goo from their heads is a favourite pastime of mine. This move has even landed as my avatar.
When spot prawn season draws to a close, PANIC STRIKES!
Oh NO! Do we have to resort back to frozen tiger prawns that are cultivated in Southeast Asia’s chemical infested ponds, carved out from irreplaceable mangrove forests?
Well, no. Here’s what you do.
- Purchase live spot prawns
- Twist off the heads while they’re still alive. One swift motion, people.
- Freeze the bodies immediately
- Suck the heads, deep fry them, or use them for a mind-blowing stock
This way, you’ll have spot prawns all year long!
The benefits of twisting off the heads before freezing are:
- if the prawns are left out for too long or if your freezer is not cold enough, the chemicals in the attached head will break down body’s tissue. This won’t be an issue if the prawns are flash frozen.
- in a household freezer, the meat is less likely to spoil than the head
- the heads aren’t as delicious after defrosting
Also, if you purchase dead spot prawns or leave the bodies around too long before freezing, the flesh will become mushy too.
Food writer and
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