Spot Prawn Festival
May 10, 2010 by Sheila Whittaker
Loca
l, sustainable, delicious spot prawns, a beautifully warm and sunny day, live blues-rock music, wine and beer samples — a dream Saturday afternoon in Vancouver became reality at the Chefs’ Table Society of BC‘s 4th annual Spot Prawn Festival May 8th.
At noon we arrived at Fishermen’s Wharf and had no trouble getting our $10 tickets for a delicious plate of five spot prawns with seafood sauce, mango chutney or spicy Thai sauce for dipping and warm, grilled bread.
I snagged a sample of Granville Island Brewery‘s Robson St. Hefeweizen, an unfiltered wheat ale that is refreshing and a great pair for the flavourful sauces. Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery was also on hand with wine samples.
Our group found a nice spot in the park overlooking the wharf and spread out our blanket on the grass in the sun.
As I dove into the plate, snapping off heads and peeling back shells, I found myself wondering why I had never had such juicy prawns before. They were bursting with flavour, had a nice, firm texture and the freshness was unsurpassed.
Local fisherman were selling the spot prawns for $12 per pound to the public, and it was no wonder that so many people were walking around with bags full of the tasty little crustaceans. There is a six-to-eight week window of opportunity for you to do the same, either by heading down to Fishermen’s Wharf or finding a eatery in the city with spot prawns on the menu, such as C Restaurant. 
About 90 per cent of BC’s spot prawns are exported to Japan. Vancouver chefs are trying to spread the word to consumers that local spot prawns are an excellent and affordable alternative to the farmed tiger prawns. Many local chefs attended the festival to promote the the Chefs’ Table Society’s latest cookbook, Vancouver Cooks 2. Festival goers were able to purchase books at the festival and have them signed.
It was not long before our plates were empty and we were left basking in the sun licking our fingers, while music from local blues-rock band Terminal Station drifted up from the festival. We were living the West Coast dream.
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