8 Dishes to Savor as Santa Barbara Spot Prawn Season Draws to an End
Grill, sauté, or fry sweet spot prawns for these stunning presentations to mark the seafood's season finale.
While shrimp and prawns are interchangeable in terms of taste and texture in recipes, fresh spot prawns deliver sweetness, color, and freshness. Succulent Santa Barbara spot prawns have plump, tender tails reminiscent of lobster, and are in season from February through October. These stunning dishes are worthy of showcasing the shellfish while you can, but if you aren't able to source spot prawns, king and tiger prawns can be used in their place; they are larger than any shrimp and make for a show-stopping presentation on the plate.
Grilled Prawns with Okra and Eggplant
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Chef Zoe Adjonyoh tops grilled marinated prawns with sautéed eggplant, okra, and spinach that have been tossed with coconut oil and spices in this vegetable-forward dish.
Squid and Shrimp Fideuà with Allioli
Slowly sautéed prawns, squid, and shrimp nestle into a bed of short, thin noodles in this one-skillet main course inspired by winemaker Mireia Taribó's homeland of Catalonia in northeastern Spain.
Garlic Ganbak (Skillet Spot Prawns with Garlic and Spanish Paprika)
James Ransom / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christine Keeley
Dominique Crisp simply seasons freshly harvested head-on Santa Barbara spot prawns with aromatics and pimentón, quickly roasting the succulent seafood in a hot oven allows the sweet, lobster-like meat to shine in this garlicky, smoky, spicy dish.
Saffron Spaghetti with Santa Barbara Spot Prawns
Italian chef Luca Crestanelli fries raw, unpeeled, head-on, tail-on spot prawns with asparagus and toasted saffron before tossing them with spaghetti and a creamy pan sauce for an eye-catching main ready in 40 minutes.
Prawn-and-Chorizo Fried Rice
Sahil Sethi's fried rice from Bar Goa in Chicago is savory and spicy, studded with juicy prawns and dry-cured Spanish chorizo and finished with a sunny-side up egg and golden Madras curry mayonnaise.
Sinigang Na Hipon
Sinigang is a soup from the Philippines with a tangy broth, often made using sour fruit like tamarind or unripe guava. For her prawn sinigang, chef Melissa Miranda uses fresh grapefruit and lemon juice for the sour notes in the full-bodied fish broth that bathes succulent, grilled head-on prawns and earthy charred shishitos.
Prawn Patio
For this traditional Parsi side dish, Havovi Medora and Sabrina Medora quickly cook lemony prawns to serve with a silky, savory caramelized spread that's made jammy from cooking down a generous amount of red onion.
Spot Prawns with Morel and Chocolate Sauce
Chef Jenny Dorsey combines surprising ingredients — morel mushrooms, white chocolate, and dill — to create a sweet and earthy sauce for her crispy tempura spot prawns. But don't stress — langoustine season began in September if you need a substitute.
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