Spot prawn season: how a Vancouver restaurant plans supply, events and allergens

BC spot prawn season is one of the few moments in Vancouver's food calendar that diners plan around. The commercial season usually opens in May and runs for a short window of weeks, and prawns are sold off the boats at False Creek Fishermen's Wharf, where the Spot Prawn Festival marks the start. Restaurants that serve seafood have a natural reason to say something new, and a short window in which to say it.

The exact opening date is set each year, so check before you print anything.

How should a restaurant plan a spot prawn special?

Start with supply. Talk to your seafood supplier in April about expected volumes and prices, and decide how many portions a night you can count on. A special that sells out by seven every evening is fine; one that disappears halfway through the season because supply dried up is a disappointment you could have predicted.

Then keep the dish simple. Spot prawns are prized for sweetness and texture, and many of the best preparations are the least complicated. A short description that says where the prawns came from and when they were landed sells the dish better than a list of components.

How do you keep a seasonal special from going stale?

The usual failure is not the dish, it is the listing. A special added in May is still showing in August on half the sites a restaurant uses. Write the end date on the special the day you add it, and put a reminder in the calendar to take it down everywhere: your website, your delivery listings, your social profiles and the board by the door. If supply runs out early, mark the item unavailable straight away. Update the photograph too. A photo of this year's plate, taken in good light, does more than any description.

Should you run a spot prawn dinner?

A one-night spot prawn dinner is one of the easiest events to sell in Vancouver, because the reason to come that night is built in. Set a capacity and a menu built around the season, and keep a list of people waiting for cancellations. Collaboration dinners work well too: a guest chef, a local fisher talking about the catch or a pairing with a nearby producer.

Alcohol needs a check before you promise a pairing. If the dinner is held somewhere your liquor licence does not cover, such as an off-site venue, BC requires a special event permit for liquor at events in unlicensed places. The guides on BC liquor licences and Serving It Right and food festivals and events in Canada cover the permits.

How do you tell people the season has started?

The window is short, so timing matters more than volume:

• Post when the first delivery arrives, with a photograph, not before.
• Tell your followers once, with the dish and the dates.
• Promote the dish, not the restaurant. A photograph of one specific plate is what makes people hungry.
• Mention it to regulars who order seafood. A single message to people who agreed to hear from you beats weeks of general posts.

How do you handle allergies with a seafood special?

Shellfish is one of Canada's priority food allergens, and a spot prawn special changes what is moving through your kitchen for a few weeks. Brief the team before the first service on which dishes now contain shellfish, where cross-contact could happen on a busy line and how to answer a guest who asks. Mark the allergen on the menu item itself, so takeout customers see it as clearly as diners in the room, and ask for allergies at the time of booking. The guide on food allergen labelling rules for Canadian restaurants explains the priority allergens.

Can a café or takeout counter join in?

Yes, in a smaller way. A spot prawn roll, a bowl or a weekend-only snack lets a counter-service business take part without a full seafood menu. Limit the number of portions a day and say so on the listing, so nobody crosses town for something that sold out at noon.

How should a kitchen handle fresh spot prawns?

Spot prawns are prized because they are sweet and delicate, and that delicacy is also their weakness. Once a spot prawn dies, enzymes in the head quickly start to soften the flesh, so the meat can turn mushy if the heads stay on. Kitchens either keep prawns alive until cooking or remove the heads promptly.

• Buy from a licensed supplier who can tell you when and where the prawns were caught.
• Plan quantities day by day, rather than holding stock.
• Remove heads quickly on any prawns not cooked live, and keep the tails very cold.
• Use the heads for stock, butter or oil, which turns trimmings into a menu item.
• Cook gently. Spot prawns need very little heat.

How do you price a seasonal seafood special?

Price from your landed cost and the portion you want to serve, with a margin that covers waste in a short season. Diners expect seasonal seafood to cost more than the regular menu, and they will judge the value on freshness and generosity rather than on the number alone.

What do you do when the season ends?

Take the special down the day it ends, thank people who came and note what sold and when. Next year's plan starts with this year's numbers: portions sold per night, which nights sold out and how many first-time guests came for the prawns and returned for something else.

More from Vancouver: Dine Out Vancouver bookings and staff training and FOODSAFE.

More in the Canadian guides for food businesses.