The Spot Prawn season in BC waters opened on Saturday, May 13th. As part of the Chefs' Table Society of BC's annual Spot Prawn Festival, Chef Dino was at Fishermen's Wharf Saturday on the demonstration stage to showcase a delicious summer dish.
Chilled Cucumber, Lettuce, Pea & Avocado Bisque with Poached Spot Prawns
Recipe (serves 4 people)
• 8 live Spot Prawns
• 1 head Romaine Lettuce (washed & trimmed)
• 1 Long English Cucumber (cut into 1 inch chunks)
• 1 Avocado
• Two handfuls English Pea Pods (peas removed, trimmed, blanched & chilled)
• 1L fresh pressed Greens Juice (not with fruit or ginger)
• ½ cup Picked Herbs (equal parts chives, dill, mint, & tarragon - with extra for garnish)
• 1 Lime, juiced
• ¼ cup Champagne Vinegar
• ¼ cup Olive Oil (good quality)
• Sea Salt & fresh ground Pepper to taste
Garnishes – picked herbs, reserved peas blanched & chilled, heirloom grape tomatoes, shaved cucumber rings, radish shavings & dill crème fraiche
Method:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; shuck peas, and blanch for 1 minute. Remove and chill in ice bath. Add pea pods to boiling water; blanch 1 minute and chill in ice bath.
In High speed blender (in two batches) add romaine, cucumber, avocado, pea pods, herbs, seasoning, and pressed greens juice. Cover with lid and purée on high speed until all chunks are well puréed and smooth. Pour into a fine mesh strainer, pushing with a rubber spatula to allow all but pulp to pass. Reserve in a stainless steel bowl and repeat with the second batch. When all has been pureed & passed, taste and adjust seasoning; add lime juice, vinegar & olive oil just before serving. Blanch whole fresh spot prawns in blanching water for about 1-1.5 minutes only. Remove and peel immediately! Season the prawns with olive oil, lime juice & sea salt. Garnish soup with shaved vegetables, peas, and slices of tomato; lay shrimp in center on top if each other. Finish with picked herbs & crème fraiche……Bon appétit!