Follow the British Columbia Food Trail Beginning on the Coast with Grilled Spot Prawns

Grilled Spot Prawns with Lemon Fennel and Baby Arugula Salad

As seen on Honest Cooking...Here in the interior of British Columbia we herald in Spring with tender local asparagus, freshly shelled peas, and crimson stalks of rhubarb but on the coastal waters of British Columbia nothing ushers in Spring better than fresh live Spot Prawns. From May 1 until July 1, we have the opportunity to devour some of the freshest and best-tasting prawns in the world here in British Columbia which are one of the most tantalizing things to be found in our coastal waters. Sweet, firm, peachy-pink and tender, these alien-looking prawns are sustainably harvested by local fishermen. This means we are able to enjoy eating them well into summer and still feel good about it. The summer has been sneaking up pretty quickly with the window of opportunity to enjoy this delicacy being relatively short but rest assured we have rolled up our sleeves and feasted on local Spot Prawns often.

 
Early dawn in and around Vancouver Island the traps that have been out all night are collected by the stoic fishermen who deliver their catch to the market.  Now mid-season we have continually been enjoying huge, succulent British Columbia live spot prawns purchased right off the boats in Steveston, or from a local fishmonger who ventures out on the coastal waters and delivers her seasonal catch alive back to her shop for sale in my interior hometown. The only way to get them fresher is to live right on the coast and lay traps yourself. Spot Prawns are like gold!!!! Believe me they were still kicking and pleading when they arrived on my kitchen counter at home today!

A few weekends ago here in the Okanagan Valley we were lucky to attend the Okanagan's very first B.C. Spot Prawn Festival which was an overwhelming success beyond the organizers wildest dreams. Kelowna devoured more than 300 pounds of Spot Prawns shipped in from the coast in just over an hour. Local chefs prepared a variety of small plates for tasting such as Wild B.C. Spot Prawns with Lake Country Asparagus or Pan Seared Spot Prawn Tikka with Minted Snap Pea Salad. Proceeds from the event went to Ocean Wise, a Vancouver Aquarium program to ensure only sustainably-caught seafood is served across the province. Our first festival in the valley mimicked the festival that has been held in Vancouver for the past 5 years with resounding success.

 
Spot Prawns are natural, sustainable fast food. If you choose to boil them they cook in two minutes in a pot of boiling water. Enjoy their succulent meat alone or with a dipping sauce of your choice. A little twist, peel back the shell and you'll be taken away to the sun-baked shore. Their meat is intensely sweet and tender. I don't like to mask their mellow sea flavour so when making them at home I enjoy keeping the flavours simpler. I shared my favourite way with the Spot Prawn last year from legendary Canadian Chef Rob Feenie Sautéed British Columbia Spot Prawns with Garlic, Jalapenos and Spicy Mayo. This post is late in coming, and the season half over but rest assured we have been enjoying Spot prawns to their fullest extent.

Serve this delicacy with a loaf of crusty homemade bread to sop up all the juices, plenty of napkins and the ability to lick your fingers and what more could you ask for? Maybe perhaps to have the season last for more than eight weeks! Keep it simple and buy a ton of fresh prawns while they're here.

Don't forget to prepare my Spinach Kiwi Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing on Kitchen Play to win!

**Grilled Spot Prawns with Lemon Fennel and Baby Arugula Salad**
idea heavily adapted from  Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds head- and tail-on Spot prawns or jumbo shrimp
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons grappa or ouzo
•  1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise plus 1/3 cup fennel fronds
• 6 cups (lightly packed) baby arugula

TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the extra–virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, sugar, salt, and plenty of pepper. (Several good grinds of pepper make the vinaigrette taste robust, a perfect complement to the fennel.) Cover tightly and shake vigorously to blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.

Chop the fennel fronds and measure out 1/3 cup. In a large bowl, combine the fennel, ¼ cup of the fennel fronds (saving the rest for garnish), and the arugula. Toss lightly to mix and set aside.

Using a small knife or kitchen shears, butterfly shrimp from tail to base of head, leaving peel and head on; devein.

 Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes; saute until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in grappa, 1 tablespoon fennel fronds and 1/2 of prepared dressing.  Add prawns; toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature, tossing occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Heat your grill to high heat. Grill prawns, brushing with marinade from bowl, until bright pink and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Shake the dressing vigorously again and then toss the salad with it to coat. Arrange the salad on 4 dinner plates.  Top with shrimp, garnish with remaining chopped fennel fronds. Serve immediately.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Follow the British Columbia Food Trail with Creamy Morel Mushrooms on Grilled Ciabatta Bread

Creamy Mushrooms on Grilled Ciabatta Bread

As seen on Honest Cooking.

When sick, or tired, or far from home, everyone seems to yearn for the gastronomic equivalent of a warm sweater, a kiss on the forehead, or a favourite blanket. Comfort foods nourish the soul as well as our bodies and tend to be familiar foods that remind us of simpler times or of a contented childhood. Comfort food is generally associated with the onset of cooler weather but what comforts you when a Spring day turns wet, gray and cold and the weather feels anything but Spring-like? The best medicine is undeniably some delicious comfort food. Just like the pending season your senses can be awakened with anything from a creamy soup of garden fresh peas, an asparagus-heavy risotto or a pudding dotted with rhubarb.

Spring is a season where comfort foods reign. It is not uncommon even in Spring for my home to be filled with warm, fragrant and earthy aromas of a slow cooked roast or bubbling crock pot, but, there is absolutely NOTHING on the planet as comforting to me as a delicious, homemade macaroni and cheese. There's something very satisfying about making this classic yourself from start to finish. I serve my favourite Beechers Macaroni and Cheese with another favourite comfort food to reach culinary nirvana , a soul-satisfying creamy mushroom topped ciabatta . I make no apologies whatsoever for either dish with their cheese, butter and carbs.

Seattle - Pike Place Market

No matter what the season mushrooms lend that rich, earthy flavour that tantalizes our senses and remind of us simpler days. Spring reminds me of Morchella or Morilles or there more well known common name Morels. This is one of the most popular, sought after wild mushrooms which is sadly only available in the Spring which makes them even more desirable!!! Every year in late April and into May, the hunters will scour the earth for that wrinkled little mushroom cap resembling a cross between a honeycomb and conehead-shaped brain that’s often yellow, sometimes black. They are sought after for their smokey flavoured, nut-like long brown caps. These treasures can only be hand picked in the wild and are of the utmost in appearance and quality. They have flourished in the province in more recent years since they often grow on forest floors that have suffered fires.

For the uninitiated, morels are probably the easiest and safest mushroom to forage for in the woods. A lot of other wild mushrooms have look-alikes that can turn dinner into a trip to the hospital or worse. Morels have a couple of cousins, commonly called false morels, which really don’t look anything like their edible counterparts. But remember the rule with mushrooms is if you aren’t sure don’t eat it.

I wish that I could tell you that one of my favourite comfort foods was made with morels, but the day I went looking they were not available. If morels are not available, and they were not for their photo debut, substitute other exotic or wild mushrooms like oyster, chanterelles, shiitake or cremini, or any other tantalizing combination for this creamy, earthy accompaniment to my favourite macaroni and cheese. You can also prepare this as a light lunch and add some shaved Parmesan cheese just before serving with a lightly dressed green salad on the side.

**Creamy Mushrooms on Grilled Ciabatta Bread**

• 1 loaf ciabatta bread or bruschetta loaf
• 1/2 pound (250 grams) morel mushrooms, ends trimmed (see note)
• 2 tablespoons (25 g/1 oz/1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, minced
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL/1 oz) dry white wine or white vermouth
• 1/4 cup (60 mL/2 oz)  or more heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh chopped chives or scallions
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL)  minced fresh herbs (parsley, chervil or savory)
• Coarse sea salt such as fleur de sel or Maldon, for garnish.

1. Cut the bread into 1–1.5-cm thick slices. Heat a ridged skillet and grill the bread slices on both sides until lightly toasted (you don’t need to use any oil). Keep to one side.

2. Using a pastry brush or a clean cloth, brush excess dirt from mushrooms (do not soak or rinse with water). Slice mushrooms in half lengthwise and brush away any grit; chop into 1/4-inch pieces if large. If they are small keep whole.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foams add the garlic and shallots and sauté until they soften and just begin to colour, approximately 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the morels and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add wine, chives and herbs, cover, and cook for 3 minutes more until the wine has bubbled away in the pan.

4. Lower the heat and add the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 minutes longer. How much cream you use depends on how rich and creamy you want the dish to be.

5. To serve, place the bread onto a plate and spoon over the warm creamy mushrooms.Sprinkle with additional chives, garnish with sea salt, and serve immediately.

2 servings or 8 as an appetizer.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.