I've learned a lot of lessons living in Alaska and most recently discovered that when a fisherman calls and tells you to meet in 20 minutes at the Carrs parking lot, you don't ask questions or mess around.
Luckily, my friend Danny heeded the call, met with Karl (the generous fisherman) and brought back a cooler full of Prince William Sound spot prawns, alive and kicking. Seung-Hee, who was my interpreter in Korea years ago and who loves to cook and eat as much as I do, happened to be in town visiting and when she lifted the lid to see the spotted beauties, she gasped and started dancing a little spot prawn jig, a ladylike version of a "Gangnam style" hop.
Usually, I'd run through a list of all the possibilities to highlight such a windfall. New Orleans-style barbecue, I wondered? Roasted and made into tacos? Or grilled with yogurt and mint? We only had a few hours to keep them alive in the ocean water and to maximize the freshness. For once, I didn't hesitate -- I immediately thought of how the brilliant Portland chef Vitaly Paley featured them last time I had seen prawns this big and fresh. Roasted whole with spices in a salt crust to lock in the moisture and sweetness, his recipe has a special place in my heart; it was one of the starting courses from my wedding, almost exactly a year ago.
We had been planning the family-style menu with Paley for months, including roasted beets with white chocolate lardo, smoked ricotta and fava bean purée, slow-roasted beef belly, fried gnudi with Romesco, a macaron tower, almond cake with Oregon berry jam topped with French buttercream, just to name a few items. We were more than thrilled with the food we would be sharing with our friends and family, many of them chefs and avid food lovers themselves.
But because Vitaly Paley is an extraordinary and passionate soul, he had also gotten in huge live spot prawns the day of the wedding and surprised us all with platters of perfectly roasted crustaceans. He later told me how delighted he was at how everyone dug in and started peeling away, with little regard to the suits and dresses they were wearing. I reminded him that when he was creating the menu and asked about our guests' tastes, my then-fiancé answered simply: They're very accomplished eaters.
Whether you're dressing up or down, feeding a crowd or dining tête-à-tête, make sure your eaters are eager and not afraid to get their hands dirty. They'll be rewarded with the beauty of Alaska seafood cooked to perfection.
Salt-and-spice-roasted spot prawns
Recipe adapted from Vitaly Paley, chef and co-owner of Paley's Place and Imperial
Note: The salt locks in moisture and flavor without making the prawns "salty." Experiment with different herbs and spices.
3 pounds coarse rock salt
5 to 6 whole star anise
4 to 5 green cardamom pods
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 vanilla bean (optional)
2 pounds head-on raw large prawns or shrimp (unpeeled)
Fresh lemon wedges and melted butter, for serving (optional)
1.Heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine salt, star anise, cardamom and cinnamon with salt in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or on a rimmed sheet pan. If using vanilla, split it lengthwise and scrape seeds into salt; add scraped bean and bake until fragrant, about 8 minutes.
2. Stir salt. Remove half of salt to the side of the dish or in a separate bowl. Place prawns in a single layer over the salt. Top prawns with salt you've removed to the side of the dish or to a separate bowl. Place pan back in oven and roast another 8 minutes or until prawns are just cooked through; be careful not to overcook. Remove prawns from pan and discard salt; use a pastry bush, if needed, to remove excess salt from prawns. Serve warm with fresh lemons and melted butter, if desired.
Kim Sunée ate and lived in Europe for 10 years before working as a food editor for Southern Living magazine and Cottage Living magazine. Her writing has appeared in Food & Wine, The Oxford American and Asian American Poetry and Writing. She is currently based in Anchorage. Her most recent cookbook is "A Mouthful of Stars." For more food and travel, visit kimsunee.com.