There is something about eating food in season that makes dinner taste all the better. Instead of making that tomato bocconcini salad (one of my late summer favourites) with tomatoes grown in Peru or in greenhouses, anticipating those first plump, aromatic tomatoes sun-ripened on a farm nearby makes me appreciate them so much more. No longer is it just a salad, but a miracle of nature on my plate.

This is why I love the spot prawn season. Although spot prawn fishers in Alaska are permitted to fish year round, here in British Columbia the season is only eight weeks long starting in May. Would I like to be able to get my hands on the large, super sweet creatures all year long? Sure, but the fact that I can’t makes me value them more. I put more thought into how I prepare them. I savour every bite.

It’s also a good excuse for a party. So last week, a group of friends gathered in our backyard to drink home brewed beer and peel the shells off of freshly cooked prawns. Spot prawns are so sweet that they are delicious boiled and served plain, but the rare sunny May evening called for use of the BBQ.

I’m not a user of recipes most of the time, so you won’t find precise measurements here. But hopefully the broad strokes will inspire:
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