BC’s Spot Prawn Festival Spotlights Farm-to-Table offerings in Vancouver
May 15, 2022
The Spot Prawn Festival returns to Vancouver this spring on Sunday, May 15th. The festival is a celebration of the start of the spot prawn season in BC’s coastal waters, where this delectable and sustainable crustacean inhabits. This year there will be access to the docks, and attendees will be able to say hello to some of Vancouver’s top chefs at the various food stations as they sample the creations prepared live. There will be activities for kids, live music, and more!
BC spot prawns are the largest species of prawns found on the west coast of Canada and they vary greatly in size. These local spot prawns are available to be enjoyed fresh in local BC restaurants and kitchens during their short fishing season.
Vancouver has no shortage of farm-to-table dining options of Ocean Wise® and sustainable restaurants. Forage connects diners with local farmers, fishers, and foragers, and serves tapas-style plates that are divided by their respective beginnings: Soil, Land and Sea. Burdock & Co looks for inspiration from British Columbia’s islands and coastlines, sourcing ingredients from local growers, farmers, and foragers. The Acorn is an award-winning, vegetable-forward restaurant that creates meals made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Botanist focuses on sustainable seafood, local produce, and the best producers from the local culinary community to highlight cuisine from the Pacific Northwest.
For a deep dive into a local foraging experience, Swallow Tail Tours offer a great way to learn more about Vancouver’s edible flora and fauna. Chef/Sommelier/Forager Robin Kort shares her passion of connecting the dots from wilderness to plate and reveals delicious secrets from the forest to the sea in her foraging field trips. Want to learn how, where, and when to catch Dungeness crab, for example? Their Crab Tour Vancouver is an immersive crabbing experience to learn the ins and outs of fishing from the docks using casting traps, how to identify male and female crabs, and when is the best time to catch the fattest crab. Preparing the crab is followed by a glorious lunch on the beach!