It was a moment I had waited 32 years for. [caption id="attachment_1918" align="aligncenter" width="415" caption="BC spot prawns delicately perched atop local Pemberton valley snap peas and wild sockeye salmon. "] [/caption] To kick off the Pemberton Slow Food Cycl e - which happens every August in Pemberton, BC - I was invited to the Pemberton Slow Food Cycle Dinner Event where Chefs James Walt & Grant Cousar served up the best local menu I have ever known. And like something from a dream, the appetizer - seen above - floated down in front of me. Two BC spot prawns were perched like still ballerinas on top of Pemberton sugar snap peas and wild sockeye salmon. oh! I couldn't believe my eyes. There they were, after years and years of pining, yearning, and helplessly listening to spot prawn season come and go every spring. The taste? Let's get this out of the way - I hate shrimp. BC spot prawns taste nothing like shrimp or any other garish, trucked-in seafood I've choked down my gullet in landlocked Ontario. The first thing I noticed was the texture. Firm, but yielding meat. Once I bit down, the juices released were nectar-sweet with the faintest hint of sea. I was right to pine for this wondrous Canadian delicacy all these years. Oh so right. And guess what - the 6- to 8-week spot prawn season is ON NOW in beautiful British Columbia! If you live close to the west coast, you won't want to miss these remaining spot prawn festivals where you can taste them fresh from the ocean:

• Kelowna, Saturday June 4th from 1 – 4pm at the Manteo Resort, 3762 Lakeshore Road;
• Osoyoos, Sunday, June 5th from 1 - 4pm at the Watermark Beach Resort, 15 Park Place

What's so great about BC spot prawns? Why are you so crazed, Colleen? This species of spot prawns caught in BC - Pandalus platyceros - is the poster child of sustainable seafood in addition to being unbelievably delicious.

• They are caught using a longline trap which has minimal impact on the ocean
• There are a limited amount of fishing licenses, and only so many traps per license
• Harvest is strictly logged so authorities can keep a close eye on the health of the population
• Females carrying eggs are released back into the ocean
• and more!

I hope to make it out to BC next year. Sigh. And just in case I piqued your interest about the Pemberton Slow Food Cycle, you get to do this: [caption id="attachment_1929" align="aligncenter" width="425" caption="Riding through Pemberton valley, BC"] [/caption] And visit places like this: [caption id="attachment_1930" align="aligncenter" width="425" caption="<--Food; Chicken & Pigs --> Lambrecht Surfboards -->"] [/caption] And eat a barn burger by the mountain, like this: [caption id="attachment_1931" align="aligncenter" width="425" caption="Barn burgers make the best burgers. "] [/caption] Yum. Are you in the "I've tried a BC spot prawn" club? Have you ever eaten one?