Photo Courtesy of Kaagwei Howard Walcott

Difficult to source and harder still to harvest, Spot Prawns are a uniquely scrumptious wild shellfish full of sweet flavor combined with rich umami savoriness and a beautiful white texture that is firm to the bite without being chewy.

Festive recipe using peeled and boiled prawns provide an exciting and talked about delicacy of the ocean that remains wildly abundant in in Southeast Alaska.  Harvested using pot trap gear, spot prawns are managed for generations of sustainable seafood resource  access.

Spot Prawns are sold as tails only and are easy to peel once cooked while not terribly difficult to peel raw.  Owning to their characteristics of freshness and Otolith’s commitment to superior quality, spot prawns shells are as attached to their prawns’ bodies as much as they day they were harvested.  Thawing shellfish under refrigeration at least a few up to 7 days before cooking will make shells easier to remove and peel.  The hard shells of a large prawn are easy to grasp and the firm texture of the prawns simplifies the task while it is pinched from its shell.   No deveining required. Approximate time to peel 20 large prawns:  6-7 minutes

Prawn Cocktail Recipe:  This recipe may be made up to 1 day in advance.

For 1 lb recipe

Ingredients:

1 lbs Spot Prawns  – thawed, unpeeled

Enough water to measure 1 inch from bottom of your pot

1 lemon or 4 TBS lemon juice

1 small onion quartered

3 celery stalks quartered into shorter lengths

1 carrot quartered lengthwise

1 garlic clove smashed

1 Tbs crushed peppercorns [dried or brined]

1 Tbs salt – optional

1 sprig rosemary

1/4 bunch of any fresh or wilting green herbs

Add any vegetables beside beets [avoid staining the prawns] into the pot at your discretion. I like green pepper.

In a medium sauce pot, combine all ingredients except prawns, cover and bring to a boil.  Add unpeeled prawns to the pot, cover and cook until done.  Approximately 7-10 minutes.  Give the prawns a stir to make sure all tails are curled slightly, fully cooked and opaque throughout.  Remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly them remove prawns from the pot and chill in a bowl with ice for 15 minutes. Strain the melted ice and water, cover prawns then refrigerate for up to one day. Prawns will require peeling before serving. Peel chilled prawns no more than 1 hour before serving.  Keep peeled prawns covered and chilled until ready to serve. This recipe is usually served with cocktail sauce.

Note: You may reserve strained cooking liquid and keep frozen for use as a soup base or stock for risotto.

Best Homemade cocktail sauce: 3 parts ketchup, 1 part horseradish, 1 fresh lemon juiced or more to taste, 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce or 1/4 tin chopped anchovies. Serve chilled. May be made up to 1 week ahead.

Cooking and Handling Spot Prawns