Seafood on the Seashore

I hated seafood as a child, but growing up in the land locked rockies, it was never quite fresh and much of it came breaded and packed in a cardboard box. Now, however, I have lived on both coasts and have sampled my fair share of salmon, lobster, crab, prawns, mussels and a variety of other ocean delights.

Prawns are a good example of my ongoing shift towards seafood. Prior to my return to Victoria in 2008, I think I had had prawns once, about 10 years ago, when out for dinner in Kootenay Lake, BC. These prawns were wet and slimy and downright gross. I tried to feed them to a stray cat and even she wouldn't bite. I decided to swear off prawns for life. But, after one cooking class with Heidi Fink last year, I was a convert and now I eat prawns all the time.

I recently made this dish:

I tossed pan fried prawns (butter, salt and pepper) with cucumbers, baby tomatoes and shredded carrots, topped this with a dressing of greek yogurt, dill and lemon and shoved all into a pita pocket along with some lettuce. A big step up from my slimy prawns of 10 years ago and a perfect summer meal.