Seafood lovers, especially spot prawn enthusiasts, will get to enjoy fresh local catches at their best during a local food festival.
The second annual Steveston Spot Prawn and Seafood Celebration is kicking off the second part of its festivities on Thursday with a “dine about” event.
Dock sales for spot prawns started last month at Steveston Harbour, and the two-week event running from June 1 to 18 will feature dishes from 13 local restaurants to highlight locally-caught seafood. Participating restaurants include Blue Canoe Restaurant, Britannia Brewing, Little Mexico Cantina, GoodCo Steveston, O’Hare Gastropub, Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill and Steveston Seafood House.
The Globe@YVR at Fairmont Vancouver Airport is also participating in the event, and it will be showcasing the sweetness of the spot prawn with a spot prawn and cherry gazpacho with dehydrated halloumi, fresh basil and avocado.
The sweetness of cherries and spot prawns will help balance the acidity in the gazpacho, creating a flavourful and balanced dish, explained Harris Sakalis, executive chef at Fairmont Vancouver Airport.
Sakalis told the Richmond News that he enjoys pairing seafood with gazpacho because it’s a refreshing Mediterranean-style soup perfect for the summer weather, and the cherries had come as a welcome bonus.
“I’m a big fan of the B.C. cherries in any sort of form. So I was hoping that the season of the spot prawns will extend and match the beginning of the season for the cherries in B.C.,” he explained.
Sakalis will also be bringing the recipe to visitors at Steveston’s Fisherman’s Wharf by demonstrating the dish on a culinary stage next week.
The two-day event taking place on June 10 and 11 will feature local chefs offering insider tips for preparing and cooking seafood dishes.
Sakalis is excited to demonstrate his cooking outdoors for the first time, especially in front of a huge crowd, including his family.
“I’ve never done it in front of my kids, so it’s gonna be a first time for me,” he said.
The key, said Sakalis, is to break down the steps so it’s easier for the audience to follow.
“It’s a recipe that’s not really common to do at home, I’ll be honest. But I think it’s easy because there’s not a lot of cooking other than poaching the prawns…It’s basically all raw ingredients blended together. And so it’s not that difficult.”
