As a child, I was not an adventurous eater. Coming from a decidedly WASP-y background, the food was plain, although that may have been more a function of the fact that I was one of four children, and adventurous meals were likely to be met with a four part harmony of whining. My parents' special occasion meals, things like jambalaya and boeuf bourguignon, suggest the blandness of our usual fare was not entirely their preference. On those special occasion evenings, I did not eat, because my mother was not one to make multiple dinners for children who did not know a good thing when they saw it. And coming from a small town that was just as WASP-y as I was, I did not encounter many new food ideas at my friends' houses. To my recollection, I did not try rice until I was in university because I didn't think it was something I would like. Yes, rice.
But university.... Once I was in the Big City (Ottawa), my horizons expanded. I tried rice. It wasn't bad. And if I had been wrong about rice, what else had I been missing out on? As it turns out, a lot. Over the next few years, with much help and encouragement from my friend, C, in particular, I branched out. And a foodie was born.
Now, there is little I dislike (except raisins; raisins are gross) and few things I have had the opportunity to try but can't bring myself to put in my mouth. But every so often I encounter something that gives me pause, something I have to steel myself to eat. Recently, I encountered one of those things.
I was in Vancouver, and I planned one night where I was going to splurge on the most magnificent seafood dinner I could find without bankrupting myself. I chose The Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar.
I immediately started with a selection of pacific oysters while I considered my other options. The oysters were meatier that the east coast varieties I am more familiar with, and totally delicious. My knowledgeable and skilled server told me that the sushi special that evening was BC spot prawns, that the season was coming to a close, and that he highly recommended them. So I ordered one piece of sashimi, and one of sushi. As the server left to place the order, he said, "Oh, and by the way, we deep fry the heads and bring them to you on the side."
The heads. I knew from years of watching cooking competition shows like Iron Chef and Top Chef that the heads are sought after. People suck out their brains, considering them to be delicious, the very best part. But I wasn't sure I could do it. A curled pink shrimp tail, devoid of legs and eyes and tentacles is great. The head? The buggy-looking head? I wasn't sure I could do that, but remembering other pleasant surprises when I got over my childish squeamishness, I decided to give it a go.
The server taught me how to peel off the hard outer shell and horn. The rest is edible. The legs, the eyes, the feelers, the internal crunchy bits. I stared at those heads, and they stared back, daring me to take that first bite. The server did say to eat them while they were hot, so I chose one, faced it away from me (I just can't eat something while it is looking at me), dipped it in the wonderful, house made soy sauce, and took a bite before I changed my mind (I found them a little large to comfortably pop in my mouth whole).
It was crunchy, and collapsed under my teeth, as the internal cavities were breached by the force of my bite. There was liquid. Tasty liquid. Rich. There were meaty bits, tender and perfectly cooked. Overall, the taste had that stronger, organ-y flavour that reminded me a little of the tomalley of a lobster, a fatty richness that just isn't found in the sweet tails unless they're bathed in butter.
With that first bite taken, my squeamishness was gone, and I quickly polished off the remaining head and a half. Another culinary dragon slain, another notch on my gastronomic belt.
A few words on Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar.... Highly recommend. Not cheap, but seafood restaurants rarely are (and if they are, you may want to think twice). For the quality, it is well worth it. In general, I find restaurants in Vancouver very noisy, and this was no exception, so it probably isn't the place for an intimate dinner. My main course was sablefish with miso sake glaze, baby bok choi, edamame, quinoa, mushrooms, and a bonito dashi broth with soy and yuzu. It was divine. I could have eaten a bowl of the broth alone. The fish was perfectly cooked - just slightly translucent. Really, the dish hit all the notes - contrasting textures, the umami taste of the dashi and soy, the soft, buttery fish, the slight crunch of the bok choi, the earthiness of the mushrooms and quinoa, the freshness and texture of the edamame. It was one of the most perfect dishes I have ever had.
And, of course, I took a picture.
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