BC Spot Prawn Festival

[starlady]

Starts today in Vancouver! The spot prawn season lasts just a scant 8 weeks! I am so gonna be down at Granville Island at least every other day to get me some fresh sweet prawns. Go down to where Go Fish is and get them fresh off the boat! 12 Bucks for a pound!
Damn I love Vancouver!

[Me so hungry]

Are the spot prawns still available? If so, when is the best time to go and do they cook it there for you? I'm a L.A. hounder visiting Seattle with the BF and we are planning to drive up either Wednesday or Thursay.

[Sam Salmon]

Yes the season is till on, live Spot Prawns were $6.99/pound in Chinatown today.

I had mine in a Singaporean style Curry.

[daily_unadventures]

I tried to get some today but the boats were sold out by the time I got there (6pm), he said I would need to be there by 4pm on weekdays to be successful. Just thought I would pass it on.

[knight]

today 9 may 07 at the corner of pender/gore in chinatown $4.99 / lb
granville island is a ripoff

[gourmet wife]

I went down to Chinatown today (May 15) as per Knight's suggestion. The price today was $7.99 but it's still a good deal. T & T is selling them for $9.99

[starlady]

Saw that at T&T :)

[Sam Salmon]

You'll pay much less for the exact same product in Chinatown-$6.99 as opposed to nearly twice that much in False Creek.

[starlady]

But I love that they are literally fresh off the boat
and damn they are good.

[Sam Salmon]

They are *all* fresh off the boat-all 100% alive-from the same place sometimes from the same boats.

The Spot Prawn Festival is a nice idea but the harvest of Spot Prawns is nothing new.

May 1 is always Opening Day for Commercials and fresh live local Prawns have been featured in Chinatown for decades now.

[starlady]

yes I knew that May 1 was the official openeing day but yesterday (may 5) was kick off for the public i guess with John Bishop, Neil Wylie, etc down there to cook and show off there resipes for the crowd.
I have never really ventured to Chinatown, I am actually a little intimidated to go on my own and can't find anyone to go with me. if only for moral support.
And yes I realize that Spot Prawns are nothing new but I lik the idea of "Festival" to get more locals interested. Ya know?

[eastcoastgirl_westcoastlife]

Starlady - I really encourage you to try Chinatown. I used to live jsut a few blocks from there and it became my favourite haunt. Whether it was Dim Sum on Sundays with friends, Wonton Soup to cure a hangover, Char siu bao (bbq pork buns) to fill a craving, or special occasion shopping, you just can't beat the prices or the atmosphere. If you are intimidated by the language issue, let me know and I can give you a list of stores that have the "We speak english" stickers on the front door. I speak a bit of Cantonese, but stil struggle sometimes with the language barrier. I wouldn't let that stop you tho, just go check it out! The shopping is great too, lots of cool houseware stores and novelty clothing as well :)

[chum]

Sorry Sam Salmon,
Nothing could be farther from the truth.Live spot prawns in chinatown and elsewhere in vancouver are caught a day or sometimes even 2 days before they reach the stores.Most are caught around van.island and ferried over the next day on a live truck to the plants, where all the bigger ""export quality""prawns are graded out and the leftovers are sent out to the local markets.Buying at the dock supports local producers and gives everybody a taste of a unique product,which sometimes was swimming in the ocean an hour before you get it!
Chum;

[Sam Salmon]

Chum-nice try at muddying the waters.

Anyone with time can see the same trucks that buy Prawns off guys landing product @ Fisherman's Wharf delivering in Chinatown-a few hours later.

While the scenario you describe does happen it has nothing to do with the quality of Prawns on offer in Chinatown as your intimate-they are the same product as lively and fresh as any-without the gratuitous markup.

I know-I've been sportfishing Prawns for decades now and have had some of my best seasons ever this past winter and the one before.

The Good News is that I now rarely take more than I can eat in a few days-preferring fresh to frozen.

[chum]

Sorry Sam Salmon,
The scenario i describe has everything to do with the size and quality of prawns in chinatown and elsewhere.We tried to buy prawns off those trucks you speak of last year and were told they were not for sale as they were for the most part going to california and the u.s. east coast.The driver was kind enough to explain the ''scenario" when trying to find big prawns in the city,so our waters are crystal clear when it comes to getting fresh,plump juicy prawns!