4th Annual Spot Prawn Festival, Vancouver BC

Spot Prawn FEVER!!

The 4th Annual Spot Prawn Festival kicked off yesterday during a gorgeous afternoon at Vancouver's False Creek Fishermen's Wharf.


Spot prawns are the sweetest prawn you'll ever eat, sustainably harvested from local British Columbia waters, available for only a short 6-8 week season every year.


I was introduced to these prized local delicacies during my visit last year and loved them so much I ate them at least a dozen times! This year, I made sure to time my visit to coincide with the lively season opener.



We arrived 15 minutes before the event began and quickly got in line for the spot prawn tastings:


$10 per plate for 4 spot prawns with 'accompaniments' and a piece of bread:


The food was dished out rather efficiently via assembly line, expertly manned by students from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. The spot prawns were prepared very simply this year to showcase their natural sweetness (in prior years, local restaurants set up individual tasting stations which offered more elaborate spot prawn dishes).

Spot prawns simply boiled in saltwater:


Chilled spot prawns, poached in a court boullion:


3 saucy accompaniments, nam jim Thai sauce, cocktail sauce, and mango salsa:


And delicious pizza bianca bread from Terra Breads:


YUM! And don't forget to suck the heads!


Afterwards we sampled wines from the Okanagan's Prospect Winery:


Microbrew tastings from Granville Island Brewing:

Live entertainment from local blues-rock band, Terminal Station:

A loud horn announced the much anticipated arrival of the first catch of the season:

Our favorite spot prawn fishermen, Steve Johansen and Frank Keitsch from Organic Ocean:


For more interesting facts about spot prawns, check out my post from last season which includes an interview with Steve and Frank and features a 6 course spot prawn tasting menu I had at C Restaurant.

WHERE TO BUY
You can purchase live spot prawns from Organic Ocean at False Creek Fishermen's Wharf after 1pm daily for $12/lb for the duration of spot prawn season.

LEARN TO COOK
Every Wednesday during the month of May, the Dirty Apron Cooking School is offering spot prawn classes featuring Chef Nico Schuermans of Chambar/Cafe Medina. Dishes will include a spot prawn ceviche, spot prawn bisque and spiced butter poached spot prawns.
$145 per person

WHERE TO EAT
Dozens of local restaurants will be featuring spot prawns on their menus throughout the season including:

REFUEL
BC Spot Prawn Boil
Every Saturday this month starting May 8th
Early seating: 6 - 8pm
Late seating: 8:30 -10:30pm

$65 per person

MAENAM
Menu will feature 8 Thai-influenced spot prawn dishes throughout the season.

C RESTAURANT
5 course spot prawn tasting menu for one week only! Now thru Sat May 15th.

For the remainder of spot prawn season, a tasting menu may be available on special request (ask when booking your reservation).

VIJ'S
Spot prawns featured on the menu all year round.

GO FISH!
Spot prawn daily specials throughout the season.

PROVENCE MARINASIDE
Chef's menu featuring spot prawns

DB BISTRO MODERNE
Bouillabaisse Provencal featuring BC spot prawns

4th Annual Spot Prawn Festival, Vancouver BC

I ♥ VANCOUVER

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games are now underway in Vancouver, so I thought I'd pay tribute to my beautiful hometown by sharing some of my favorite places, activities and things to eat...

GRANVILLE ISLAND PUBLIC MARKET
FOODIE HEAVEN. Pick up a warm honey dip donut from Lee's Donuts. Indulge in some chocolate walnut rugolach from Siegel's Bagels. Build-your-own picnic with charcuterie from artisanal sausage-maker Oyama Sausage. Grab a piece of blueberry white chocolate foccacia at Terra Breads. And lastly, stop in at Edible BC's retail store for locally made gourmet souvenirs to take home (super friendly staff too).




ZIPTREK ECOTOURS
During our last trip to Whistler, I somehow managed to convince Kris to go ziplining with me on Ziptrek's Bear Tour ("It's totally safe, honey!")

But I may have neglected to mention that the longest zipline we'd be doing was 1100 feet long. Or that the last zipline was done hanging upside down! And I might have forgotten to tell him that there was a tiny possibility that you could get stuck while ziplining. Sure enough, poor Kris actually got stuck on the zipline and had to hang suspended 100 feet in the air for several minutes while waiting for rescue! And yes, we got it all on video (Kris getting stuck at 1:10, Phyllis zipping upside down at 3:21):



Mixed in with the adventure is also a educational component - during the 3 hour tour, guides discuss sustainability and minimizing our environmental impact. We also got a exciting sneak peak of the Whistler Sliding Centre (bobsled/skeleton/luge) during the ride up to the old growth forest. If you haven't tried ziplining before, the Ziptrek Bear tour is a great beginner experience. And despite getting stuck, Kris has agreed to do the more exciting (and steeper) Eagle tour with me the next time around!

For a limited time (during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games) zipline for FREE in Robson Square!


NANAIMO BAR
This popular Canadian no-bake dessert hails from Nanaimo, BC (approx 2 hr ferry ride from Vancouver). Basically layers of butter upon butter, what's not to like? I made these for Thanksgiving last year, recipe here.



ALL DRESSED POTATO CHIPS
Why is this flavor only available in Canada? Tangy, savory blend of spices, with a hint of sweetness, my favorite potato chip flavor of all time. I pack as many bags as I can fit in my carry-on whenever I visit Canada!



VANILLA FUDGE CLODHOPPERS
They're not kidding when they say these vanilla fudge graham wafer clusters are 'highly addictive'. Before I found out they carry them at Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC, I actually thought about ordering a giant case from Canada.



POUTINE
How much do I love poutine? Enough to eat 12 poutines in 12 days last year. And although the cheese curds aren't as squeaky and fresh as what you'd find in Quebec, you can still find some decent versions of poutine in Vancouver. My favorite last year was from Brado Pizza:



QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK
Amazing views, gorgeous 'sunken' Quarry Gardens, the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, and years of family picnics and wonderful memories at Queen Elizabeth Park.

Can you believe it took me over 25 years to finally go inside the Bloedel Conservatory? But it's become one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in town. The conservatory is home to exotic plants and tropical flowers...

and a hundred species of colorful birds...

Worth the $5 admission just to see long-time resident Charlie the cockatoo ham it up for the camera:



Sadly, the Bloedel Conservatory is currently facing closure due to budget cuts. Visit while you still can. You can also help save the conservatory at www.friendsofthebloedel.ca


TROUT LAKE FARMERS MARKET
A weekly farmer's market located at pretty Trout Lake, where you'll find local organic produce (gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, chive flowers, stinging nettle, exotic mushrooms, fresh herbs etc), freshly baked goods, specialty foods, local honey and cheese, fresh seafood, seedlings/bulbs from herb farms and nurseries, local artisans, and a psychadelic purple crepe truck.



We loved the honey almond nougat from local candymaker Kalley Kandy:



JAPADOG
Kurobuta pork terimayo dog!



RICHMOND SUMMER NIGHT MARKET
Late night nibbles at this Asian night market, running from May thru Oct annually. Read more here.



POLENTA FRIES AT CASCADE
A big thanks to our friend Ly for introducing us to Cascade and these fabulous polenta fries - crispy perfection on the outside, creamy deliciousness inside, served with an addictive curry mayo dip.



THOMAS HAAS CHOCOLATES
Best chocolates EVER. Read more about truffles, almond croissants and chocolate sparkle cookies here.



STANLEY PARK
Vancouver’s first and most famous park, bordering downtown Vancouver, a thousand acres of evergreen parkland surrounded by a 5.5 mile circular seawall where you can walk, bike, or rollerblade to your heart’s content.

I was lucky enough to live a block away from this lush urban oasis and would jog the seawall every Saturday morning. In 2006, my heart ached when I heard about the devastating windstorm that knocked down thousands of trees, some of them hundreds of years old. A massive restoration effort (funded by donations) resulted in the planting of 16,000 trees in the damaged areas over the next 2 years. We visit Stanley Park every time we're in town. Don't miss it.



VANCOUVER AQUARIUM
Adorable otters and smiley beluga whales :)




SPOT PRAWNS
Sustainably harvested from BC waters, spot prawns are the sweetest prawns you'll ever eat. We timed our visit last year to coincide with Vancouver's 3rd Annual Spot Prawn Festival, allowing us to indulge in spot prawns over a dozen times!

Freshly caught beauties from fisherman Steve Johansen (Organic Ocean at False Creek Fisherman's Wharf):



GO FISH!
A fish shack located in False Creek Fisherman's Wharf, only steps from Granville Island.

Selection changes daily based on what's fresh. Best fish 'n' chips in town (fish tacones aren't bad either). Expect a huge line-up!



ENGLISH BAY



YUCCA FRIES FROM RINCONCITO SALVADORENA
I came here for pupusas after seeing them featured in Vancouver Magazine's Best Things to Eat & Drink 2008 but ended up falling in love with the yucca fries (served with crispy pork bits):



JERICHO BEACH



SAUSAGE ROLL
When I first moved to New York, I assumed that sausage rolls would be as ubiquitous as they were in Vancouver. Well I was wrong. Now I almost get heart palpitations whenever I spot one.



BANH MI (VIETNAMESE SANDWICHES)
I grew up eating sandwiches from Ba Le, but found a new favorite at Tung Hing during last year's banh mi roundup.



CARMELITAS FROM CHOCOLATE ARTS
My thoughtful friend Liz always gives me a box of Chocolate Arts whenever we see each other. My favorite is the carmelita, soft buttery caramel oozing from a dark chocolate shell:


Hungry for more? Checkout Vancouver Magazine's annual feature, Best Things to Eat & Drink in Vancouver.

I ♥ VANCOUVER