Who Will Be Best Of Sea?

  • June 1, 2018

Seafood dish competition starts at PEI restaurants

PEI is known for its wonderful diversity of seafood, from the ever popular lobster and oysters, to fresh mussels, halibut, eels, and other fish. It’s only fitting that that Island restaurants play host to a month-long competition focussed on these fruits of the sea.

This June, 18 restaurants across Prince Edward Island are participating in the Best of Sea restaurant promotion and culinary competition. Talented local chefs and cooks have developed 38 unique seafood dishes featuring PEI seafood.

There are a few high stakes for the competitors. Chefs and cooks are vying for $4000 in prize money. Chefs in the Chic Chef’s culinary competition will prepare their dishes for a professional chef judging panel at Canada’s Smartest Kitchen. The chef with the highest combined score for their appetizer and main course will be awarded 2018 Chic Chef of the Year. This chef will also get the exclusive invitation to compete in the Garland International Chef’s Challenge at the PEI International Shellfish Festival in the fall. There are also prizes in the Creative Cooks category for chefs who may not meet all the criteria for Chic Chef.

2017 The Ultimate Seafood Fusion Judges Choice Winner, Terre Rouge Craft Kitchen, Chef Lucy Morrow Photo credit: Heather Ogg Photography

As part of the competition, chefs are required to use any of the following seafood in their dishes: lobster, rock crab, snow crab, mussels, oysters, scallops, bar clams, soft shell clams, quahaugs, halibut, bluefin tuna, smoked salmon, or eel. All seafood species/products must have a guaranteed PEI origin. There are two categories of dishes that will be created: appetizers and entrees.

2017 winners include: Water’s Edge Resto Bar Grill, Chef Javier Alarco with the judge’s choice for the APPsolute Seafood Starter; Terre Rouge Craft Kitchen, Chef Lucy Morrow with judge’s choice for the Ultimate Seafood Fusion; Chef Jamie Power of Blue Mussel Cafe won the Islander’s choice for both the APPsolute Seafood Starter and the Ultimate Seafood Fusion; Andre Boucher of Mavor’s Restaurant, was the Islander’s choice for the First Wave Appetizer; Chez Yvonne’s Restaurant, Linda Larkin, won the Islander’s choice for Hooked Up With Flavours; 2017 Chic Chef of the Year was Chef Javier Alarco from Water’s Edge Resto Bar Grill.

2017 Chic Chef of the Year Chef Javier Alarco   Photo credit: Heather Ogg Photography

The promotion and competition runs all month. Support your favourite chefs and restaurants by tasting competition dishes at participating restaurants and then voting for your favourite at www.bestofsea.com. Voting for your dish of choice will give you the chance to win a gift card from participating restaurants. The winning restaurant in each category will also win a monetary prize.

About Salty Staff

A diverse group of people, the Salty team works hard each month to bring you great stories about PEI's food and farming community.

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