This week, you might see chefs around town with Cheshire smiles and maybe even leaping and clicking their heels. Why? The spot prawn season begins tomorrow at high noon. This West Coast specialty intoxicates the minds of chefs. “It’s one of those times when everything clicks,” says Lee Humphries, possibly referring to the sound of chefs’ heels. As chef de cuisine at C seafood restaurant, this makes his heart palpitate. Nothing says West Coast seafood as elegantly as spot prawns. There’s a certain elegance in spot prawn biology, too. In a move called sequential hermaphroditism, they start life as males and in their last year (about the third year), they turn into females to lay some 2,000 to 4,000 eggs. The advantage of the gender shift isn’t clearly understood even by the David Suzuki Foundation, but personally, I can see many benefits. “It’s one of those things in nature, not uncommon in the fish world,” says Steve Johansen, prawn fisher extraordinaire. Humphries will be at the dock when Johansen’s fish boat (Organic Ocean) arrives with its first spot prawn delivery at False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf. “It’s an exciting time. We get our first delivery within 20 minutes of harvest. It’s unique. We’ll get the first of the season,” he says. “Hopefully, we’ll be serving them at our dinner service.” Johansen has welcomed media and chefs aboard his fishing boat to see sustainable fisheries in action. (He upgraded to a fast boat that can do 30 knots to enable a quick dayboat turnaround.) He loves to eat them raw, right out of the trap. “I probably eat two pounds a day. One day, David Suzuki came with us. He probably ate 10 pounds,” he says. A chef who knows of the intricacies of seafood, Hidekazu Tojo, of Tojo’s Japanese restaurant, explains spot prawn protocol in his restaurant. On the day of the catch, he’ll lightly boil or steam them and serve them with a dipping sauce (½ cup dark soy sauce, ¼ cup rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, green onions). On the second day, the prawns are at their sweetest. That’s when he’ll use them as sashimi. And on the third day, they’re destined to be prawn cakes. The prawns, if treated well, and flash-frozen, are low-maintenance and can be eaten off season. “Quality is the same,” Tojo says. Some 90 per cent of West Coast spot prawns have historically been shipped to Japan. “In Japan, it’s very expensive,” he says. “It’s five to eight dollars per prawn. It’s a luxury item.” In the last year or so, however, China has fallen head over heels for them, too. “What concerns us and the chefs is that we’ll be priced out of the market because China is paying huge money,” says Johansen. “China’s got money and all of a sudden sustainability is becoming a catchword. They’re looking for clean ocean seafood. “Last year, for example, fishermen were getting $4 a pound for crab. Then overnight, companies were paying them over $10 because of a huge order from China and guess what? Vancouver didn’t see crabs for two weeks.”

This year, he reckons China will out-buy Japan. “It turns into a bidding war,” he says, “and it’s a lot harder to keep the love at home.” Johansen says he’ll be selling locally and sustainably. Humphries isn’t in the mood for buzz kill. He’s stoked for now. “Back home [in Cornwall, England, where he is from], I’d never seen a spot prawn. There was nothing as meaty and sweet. It has great texture and is so clean-tasting. I love that it’s local and showcases what we’re all about here.” The spot prawn, one of the myriad prawn species, is in a league of its own, he says. When I talked to him last week, he was working on a prawn tasting menu ($70). It will include a spot prawn bisque with crisp prawn and citrus dust, spot prawns with bacon lime tortellini, jalapeno fluid gel, black bean purée and fava beans as well as peel-and-eat prawns with preserved lemon, garlic, brown butter and crisp potato chips. He has ambitious ideas for the season. “I’m planning a sorbet with spot prawn in it. I’ll play with some of the natural juices from the head where it’s sweet. I’ll pair it with coconut. It’ll go with the creaminess of prawn. It might work, it might not,” he said, all gung-ho. With spot prawns, less is more. Other elements of a dish can take care of the “more” of a haute dish. “I’m sure not going to take the integrity of this product and use chemicals, liquid nitrogen or make powdered crumble out of it,” Humphries says. “I treat it with the respect it deserves. For me, it’s all about showcasing how good and fresh it is.” He’s adamant about one thing — ripping the heads off fresh prawns before they turn mushy. “You have to take the head off before they die or enzymes inside the head will turn the prawn mushy.” To intensify the prawn flavour, he does have some chef moves. For some dishes, he’ll roast and dry the prawn shells with lemon rind then grind them to a fine pink powder and mix it with salt. “It’s like lemon sea salt,” he says. At home, however, there are no fancy-pants moves. “I’ll have the cooks to my house, we’ll chuck some on the barbecue to grill and boil some and serve them with lemon wedges. To me, that’s the best.” How about that – fast food you can be proud of! mstainsby@vancouversun.com Blog: vancouversun.com/miastainsby Twitter.com/miastainsby * B.C. Spot Prawn Festival Celebrate spot prawn season at the sixth annual B.C. Spot Prawn Festival at the False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf on Saturday, May 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Twelve dollars will get you fresh prawns, salad and bread, as well as wine and coffee samplings. Chefs will be demo-ing recipes and you can also buy spot prawns off the fishing boats for $12 a pound. Spot prawns will be available daily at the dock for six to eight weeks.

* Spot Prawns with Fava Beans, Bacon Lime Ravioli, Black Bean Purée Chef Lee Humphries of C restaurant will be serving a more complex version of this recipe as part of his spot prawn menu. If you want to streamline it, skip the black bean element. Pasta dough: 6 egg yolks 2 medium whole eggs, for egg wash 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon (2 mL) olive oil Pulse egg yolks, flour and olive oil in food processor until “mealy.” Form the dough into a ball and knead until elastic. Wrap tightly in cling wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. To assemble ravioli (see filling recipe, below), roll out the dough into two thin sheets, no thicker than a nickel. Beat whole eggs with fork. Brush the egg wash over one sheet of pasta. Drop the filling on the dough by teaspoonfuls, about 1 inch apart. Cover with the other sheet of pasta, pressing the air out from around each portion of filling. Press around filling to seal. Cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. Let rest for 10 minutes. This recipe should make 12 pieces. To cook ravioli, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli and return to boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well. Bacon Lime Tortellini Filling: ½ pound (225 g) double smoked bacon 1 egg Zest of 2 limes Salt and pepper to taste Purée bacon in food processor until breadcrumb texture. Add egg and blend lightly. Add lime zest and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until needed. Black Bean Puree: 1 cup (250 mL) cooked black beans. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 mL) black bean juice 1 teaspoon (5 mL) olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Blend all ingredients together in food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight. Spot Prawns and Fava Beans: 4.5 ounces (128 g) butter ½ cup (125 mL) water 12 pieces spot prawns 1 1/3 to 1 ½ cups (315 to 375 mL) fava beans (blanched and shucked) 2 limes (peeled and cut into segments) 1/2 bunch cilantro (washed and leaves picked) Salt to taste Place butter and water in large pot and bring to boil while stirring. Add spot prawns and season with salt. Add blanched fava beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until prawns are lightly poached and fava beans are warmed through. Drain. To plate, spread black bean purée on plate. Place 3 cooked ravioli on black bean. Top with butter poached spot prawns and fava beans. Garnish with lime segments. Makes 4 appetizer or 2 entrée servings * Spot Prawn Corn Dogs with Garlic Aioli This is from Marc-Andre Choquette of Tableau; a fun dish. Corn Dog Batter: 1 cup (250 mL) milk 2 eggs ¼ cup (60 mL) canola oil