By Lindsay Anderson

Special to The Post

 

IRecently I had a very busy day, and it was a day that involved prawn moustaches.

It began at 7Am, when I stepped off the dock and onto Organic Ocean’s prawn boat. Frank and Steve are the fishermen who own this sustainable seafood company, and they very generously agreed to take me along for a morning of spot prawn fishing.

The highly-anticipated season is nearing its end, and Chef Danilo Ibarro of the Blue Canoe also joined us.

Waking up at 5:30AM hurts, but it doesn’t hurt as much as 4AM (when Steve and Frank get up), and it’s impossible to beat the fresh air, sunshine, and stillness of an early morning.

We headed out to their secret prawn-trapping location (I have no sense of direction, so I can’t reveal their haunts even if I wanted to), and then Chef and I watched as they set to work collecting and resetting the traps.

What makes Organic Ocean special? First of all, the spot prawns they catch in the morning are at restaurants across Metro Vancouver by 2PM the same day, still alive.  That is fresh.

Secondly, they fish only what’s in season, and their methods allow for all by-catch to be returned to the water unharmed.

All kinds of little critters make it into the traps, including crabs, fish, and sometimes even starfish, but every single one is picked out and tossed back into the blue, still thrashing.

Spot prawns are a West Coast specialty known across the world for their sweet flavour and firm texture.

They’re named for the white spots on their tail, and can grow to be serious beasts.

As they came in, Steve and Frank stored them in containers in a temperature-controlled hatch filled with water pumped from the deep ocean; apparently the surface water is mixed with some fresh water run-off, and they like to ensure they’re stored in the same pure saltwater as where they live.

It was obviously amazing to watch this whole production, and then Chef Danilo blew my mind even further by preparing fresh prawn ceviche on the boat.

He’d brought his own bowl, pre-chopped vegetables, spices, herbs, lemon/lime juice, and clamato juice, and we shelled the still-squirming prawns and tossed them into the bowl.  He mixed it all up, put some ice bags on top (he’d brought those, too), and let it sit for over an hour.

Then we feasted on the freshest, most delicious ceviche I’ve ever had. 

Then a bald eagle circled overhead, swooped down, and plucked a fish right out of the water (a rare sight).

I nearly cried with happiness over what my mouth was chewing and my eyes were seeing.

I helped out by shelling some prawns and emptying one spot prawn trap – you’re welcome, guys!

Thank you so much to Steve and Frank for taking me out yesterday, and for fishing the way they do. They work so hard, have such respect for the ocean, and are two of the friendliest yellow-clad guys you could meet. And thanks to Chef for feeding us one of the best breakfasts we’ve ever had.

For more information on Organic Ocean contact Steve Johansen at steve@organicocean.com or 778.231.9453 or Frank Keitsch at frank@organicocean.com or 604.837.7249.

 

Lindsay Anderson is dining out at 365 Richmond eateries in 365 days for Tourism Richmond. The Asian Pacific Post is featuring excerpts from her blog each week. See www.365daysofdining.com for Anderson’s blog.