Spot on

 A trio of beheaded Pandalus platyceros 

One of the benefits to living in a marina in Southeast Alaska is the opportunity to buy fresh seafood directly from our neighboring fishing boats. About a month ago we saw that one of the locals was open for business. Several people were in line. I took this to be a good recommendation for whatever catch they were hawking, made Matt give me all his cash in his wallet, and joined the queue.
The sign said prawns, but the fishing people called them shrimp. I really had no idea what exactly I was buying, but I happily took my bag back to our boat. Once we had satiated ourselves with a meal of pink-hued sea bugs I figured I should learn more about the little critters that were gracing my tummy with their presence.
To start with, I decided that the white spots were not random blemishes but an important key to identification. Sure enough a bit of internet research revealed that we had innocently gorged on spot prawns, or Pandalus platyceros, highly regarded in the culinary world for their sweet taste and firm texture.
I learned that the terms 'shrimp' and 'prawns' are used interchangeably, and that P. platyceros have a very interesting sex life.
Although the commercial season seems to be short and sporadic, we've scored spot prawns a few times now. We've determined that our favorite way to eat them is to simply boil them, peel the shells off, and then dip them in a mixture of Sriracha and Thai sweet red chili sauce.

Some spot prawn facts:

They are the largest West coast shrimp, and females can grow to 23 cm or more in length.
They range from the Aleutians to Southern California, as well as the Sea of Japan and Korea Strait.
Their typical lifespan is 7 to 11 years.
They become sexually mature at 3 years.
They practice protandric hermaphroditism. (Meaning they all begin their lives as males, and then at around 4 years of age turn into females. I guess this gives all those mature female prawns a great excuse to date youthful males - they don't have any other choice!)
In the past, Southeast Alaska was called the 'shrimp treasure house'. Although not as abundant now, the spot prawn fishery shows promise as an environmentally sustainable one. (So I don't have to feel too guilty about my newest addiction...)


My sources included:

The Spot Prawn Fishery Status Report

Alaska Department of Fish and Game