Wild Alaskan Spot Prawns

For those in the know, spot prawns are a culinary treasure of the Pacific coast. 

Not unlike a langoustine, the large size and rich flavor of spot prawns make them versatile in a variety of recipes. Technically, spot prawns are shrimp, but they are much more flavorful than any shrimp commonly found in grocery stores or restaurants. Spot prawns are known for their sweet, delicate, and clean flavor along with a supple texture and pleasant “mouth-feel” that is unlike any other.

Our Wild Alaskan Spot Prawns are sustainably harvested in the pristine, icy waters of Southeast Alaska. Our co-op fishermen use "pots" to ensure that your seafood has minimal impact on ocean habitats.

Our Spot Prawns are frozen at sea within minutes of being landed, preserving the quality of these delicacies. Like our wild salmon, halibut, and sablefish the individualized care we put into catching and bringing these Wild Alaskan Spot Prawns to your home is something special.

We recommend lightly steaming or sautéing our Wild Alaskan Spot Prawns. Sushi aficionados love spot prawns for serving amaebi (sweet shrimp). They are also wonderful when eaten raw. Prawns al mojo de ajo is a classic recipe for lovers of Mediterranean flavors.

Our spot prawns come in packages of 30-ounce resealable bags, 2 per box. These spot prawns are mixed sizes, what we call "ocean run" and they are head-off, just tails, so they are convenient to work with. Each 30-ounce bag should give about 3-4 dinners each.

HANDLING AND PREPARATION

To thaw: Thaw in the sealed package in the fridge for 12-24 hours, in order to thaw slowly. 

Immediately after being caught, your prawns are submerged and frozen in cool, clean seawater. During thawing, you may notice the seawater will turn a deep vibrant red. This is normal -- it's the juice from the roe mixing with the sea water. Simply pour it off as it thaws!

It's not necessary to de-vein spot prawns

There are 3 general ways to prepare the prawns:

Boil spot prawns: Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add thawed, shell-on shrimp to the pot. Boil for about two minutes, or until the meat turns white and the body curls in on itself. 

​Grill spot prawns: We recommend grilling with the shell on in order to protect the meat. Marinate in a little fat, salt, and seasoning before grilling. Skewers are helpful for keeping the prawns in line and from falling between the grates. Don't grill your veggies and shrimp on the same skewer - the shrimp will be far over done by the time the veggies are cooked. Grill on medium-high, for about 2 minutes per side.

Sauté: Prawns can be sautéed shell on or off. We take the shell off when sautéing. Sauté in fat of choice over medium-high heat, for about 90 seconds per side.

Note that male spot prawns are generally smaller, and do not have roe attached to their bodies. They will be most similar to prawns you've purchased at the grocery store. Female spot prawns are larger, and have roe on the bellies. The roe comes off with the shell when peeling, so you don't have to do anything with it. We use spot prawn roe to garnish our sushi or flavor the shrimp stock as described below. You can also make a roe better for sautéing vegetables and giving them a sea-inspired umami.

Re-freeze the shells for later use in broths or stocks. The shells make a wonderful addition to any fish stock with instructions here.

We offer suggestions on how to de-shell our prawns here. Whatever way you plan to de-shell and cook your spot prawns, remember that they cook fast! Over-cooking will remove the wonderful, sweet flavor and damage the supple texture. Don’t sauté for much longer than two minutes. A light steaming is also more than sufficient. Here are our suggested spot prawn preparation techniques and some classic spot prawns recipes.

*Thaw for 12-24 hours under refrigeration (at 38 F or below).

Nutrition Information