Your Guide to Spring Seafood in the Pacific Northwest: What to Catch, Where to Find It & How to Throw a Dockside Boil to Remember
When it comes to Your Guide to Spring Seafood in the Pacific Northwest, there’s something deeply satisfying about eating what the sea provides for you —especially when you’re anchored in a quiet cove and your deck smells like garlic, Old Bay, and adventure. Spring is seafood season in the Pacific Northwest, and for us cruisers near Vancouver Island, it’s a tidal wave of delicious opportunity.
Whether you’re into harvesting, hauling, or simply heating things up in a pot, here’s your West Coast guide to what’s in season, where to find it, and how to serve it with style.
Your Guide to Spring Seafood in the Pacific Northwest: What to Catch & Where to Find It
Ah, halibut— firm, flaky, and utterly chic on a cedar plank. These flat beauties start showing up in recreational fisheries around March and run strong into summer. Look for them off the west coast of Vancouver Island, particularly near deep drop-offs.
📍 Think wide, open water areas like Barkley Sound or the edge of the continental shelf. Drop your line, grab a thermos of coffee, and cross your fingers you’ve packed enough biceps to reel in what feels like a barn door with gills.
Wine pairing: Try a crisp, mineral-rich Albariño or BC Pinot Gris—perfect for cutting through the richness of the fish and your bragging rights.
Pro tip: Halibut cheeks are the filet mignon of the sea. If you’ve got ‘em, pan-sear with butter, lemon, and a little crushed garlic. No leftovers, ever.
Oyster Season: Slurp with the Surf
Spring oysters are a bit meatier and brinier. You can shuck your way around Vancouver Island’s many inlets, but the central east coast, from Comox to Deep Bay, is oyster heaven.
Even if you’re not harvesting yourself (hello, floating happy hour!), a stop at a local shellfish farm dockside is never a bad idea. Slide a dozen onto a tray with lemon wedges and mignonette, and voilà—you’ve gone from cruiser to coastal goddess in under ten minutes.
Wine pairing: BC Sparkling or a dry Gewürztraminer to keep things crisp and celebratory.
Real-life moment: Last spring, anchored off Denman Island, we bartered homemade sourdough for a dozen Pacific oysters. I’ve never felt more like a resourceful mermaid in my life.
Spot Prawns: The Crown Jewels of BC Waters
The Pacific Northwest’s darling crustacean—spot prawns—are as elusive as they are delicious. Their season is short (usually May to June), and you’ll often see boaters with traps down near rocky ledges or kelp beds.
📍 The Gulf Islands and sheltered channels around Desolation Sound are prawning gold mines.
Spot prawns cook in under 2 minutes, and they taste like butter had a love child with the ocean.
Wine pairing: Try a Chenin Blanc or unoaked Chardonnay—something light and layered that lets the prawns shine.
Recipe idea: Spot prawns, sautéed with olive oil, chili flakes, or my favourite Chef Prudhomme Blackened Redfish Magic and a dash of white wine, served with fresh bread for dipping on the aft deck. Insert sunset here.
Dungeness Crab: Crack, Dip, Repeat
Let’s be real: no spring seafood roundup is complete without our spiny-legged superstar—the Dungeness crab. Their season varies, but spring is a sweet spot for dropping traps.
📍 Look for sandy bottoms in sheltered bays—think around Saanich Inlet, Gambier Island, or the waters near Hornby Island.
Just don’t forget to check your traps—crab thieves (human and sea otter alike) are real.
Wine pairing: A dry rosé or even a light Riesling is divine with crab, especially if you’re dunking it in hot lemon butter.
Missy’s tip: Bring a spare bowl for shells, a small mallet, and some wet wipes. This is not a linen-napkin situation. But you can wear a stylish apron and call it nautical chic.
This 6-piece seafood set includes 3 stainless steel crab scissors and 3 dual-ended crab forks—designed for clean, effortless crab cracking. Durable, easy to clean, and perfect for any seafood lover. 🦀✨
The Classic West Coast Seafood Boil (with Old Bay, of Course)
Once you’ve got your fresh haul (or a very successful stop at the dockside market), it’s time for the main event: a spring seafood boil that feeds the whole crew.
🦀 What You’ll Need:
- 2–3 lbs Dungeness crab (or legs)
- 1–2 lbs spot prawns (shells on)
- 2 lbs halibut pieces or firm white fish
- 2 ears of corn, cut in halves or thirds
- 1 lb baby potatoes
- 1 lemon, sliced
- Old Bay seasoning (go wild!)
- 1/2 cup butter (plus more for dipping)
How to Make It:
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil with Old Bay, lemon slices, and a healthy pinch of salt.
- Add potatoes and cook for 10–12 minutes until almost tender.
- Add corn, crab, and fish. Cook another 5–6 minutes.
- Add spot prawns last—they cook in just 2 minutes!
- Drain and pour out onto a picnic table lined with parchment paper.
- Melt butter for dipping, hand out forks (or don’t), and dig in with glee.
Don’t forget the wine. Or the bibs. Or the yacht-rock playlist.
Serving It All With Nautical Elegance
Whether you’re tucked into a cove or tied up at a marina, the key to pulling this off is keeping it elegant-but-effortless. A few chic touches go a long way:
- White enamel trays for serving
- Navy-and-white striped napkins or linen tea towels
- A bottle of chilled rosé in a stainless steel wine bucket
- Flameless candles in lanterns for sunset ambiance
- Spotify playlist: Coastal Calm with a Twist of Yacht Rock 🎶
Ready to Feast Like a Local?
Spring is the perfect time to cruise, catch, and cook around Vancouver Island. Whether you’re pulling up spot prawn traps or slicing lemon for your oyster tray, remember—it’s not about perfection. It’s about the memories, the mess, and the buttery fingers.
