Spot prawns in the trap
Let me tell you a story, I’ll try to make it brief. Once upon a time there was a massage therapist and a contractor that worked very very hard for a very long time. They loved their work and lived in a sweet little coastal community where they were at home for a long time. Everything seemed perfect till something happened that they knew would happen but still did not welcome it. Their bodies decided they were done with all this hard work. Done. Period.
The massage therapist and the contractor were worried, they still needed to make money as they aren’t that old but at the same time how does one change careers in their 50s? So the massage therapist started to look around and found them a job caretaking a beautiful estate in the San Juan Islands. They won the job over many people that applied, so they left their lovely home, community and long time jobs and moved far away to a quiet little island.
Sunset on our little paradise
They have been there for 7 months now and have decided to stay. They love the seals, orcas, humpbacks and otters that come by often and speak to them in their different languages that they are learning. They also love the Salish Sea and her many moods and how she laps at the shore and speaks her language they are leaning too. The land also speaks to them and tells them ancient stories of the First People and of the animals and trees that have been there longer than even the First People. The people who they work for are also ancient souls that love the land they steward and are wonderful to work with. Life is gentle and filled with the languages of the land, sea and souls, so it is not lonely. They love it there.
view from our porch
As I am sure you have surmised the massage therapist is moi and the contractor is caveman hubby. We are so humbled and happy to announce that we are in love with the San Juan Islands and feel so lucky to find a sweet job to change to. The sea provides rich and delicious bounty that we are still charmed by. The sunsets and sunrises mesmerize us. We are home.
With all the change and movement my lovely blog fell by the wayside while we were getting settled. Now that darkness drops at 4:30pm, I find myself called back into action on my blog. I am back, I promise. I’m still writing for the papers back at our other home so will be throwing lots of recipes at you that I have developed over the last few months but just didn’t’ get them posted.
Bounty from the sea, spot prawns
I am so thankful to have new wind in our sails and friends that we are getting to know. Just today we had 6 humpback whales swim by and sing to us. I am thankful for you my dear readers. Thanks for having patience. To celebrate the bounty of what we eat up here in the north lands I am sharing with you our favorite spotted shrimp recipe given to us by a neighbor and fast friend. These gorgeous HUGE delicious spot prawns are caught right off our island and we have found that we can’t get enough of them. Try to make this recipe with wild caught prawns.
Grilled Spot prawns
- 24 large wild caught prawns in shell
- 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ¼ cup of fresh parsley, minced
- 1 tsp of kosher salt
- ½ tsp of ground black pepper
- First off, be amazed at your prawns. We start off with ripping the poor little bugger’s heads off as soon as we get into the dock with our bounty. If your head of your prawns are still on, rip them off with a twisting motion. Rinse the prawns then set in a colander to dry.
- After they have set a few minutes, set down at your table and take a sturdy pair of scissors and cut down the back of the shell. Remove any veins you can. Next you mix all the rest of the ingredients in a large plastic zip lock bag and squish around till mixed. Toss the prawns in there and squish around some more till the prawns are well covered with the marinade and set in the fridge for an hour or so.
- Next heat up the grill to high or heat up the broiler on the oven to 500 with a rack set on the top most setting. Take your prawns out of the fridge and spread in a grill rack. (Ya know one that you use for grilling veggies or small items on the grill? If you don’t have one you should get one, now!)
- Grill the prawns for 5-7 minutes on each side till just barely done. If you are cooking them under the broiler, spread on a metal baking sheet and cook five minutes under the broiler then turn and cook another 5-7 minutes till done. It doesn’t take long don’t overcook them! Serve in the shell with bowls out for the shells and lots of napkins!
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