Chef teams finalists announced for upcoming ninth annual Alabama Seafood Cook-Off
From left, Assistant Chef Luis Silvestre and Chef Brody Olive after winning the eighth Annual Alabama Seafood Cook-Off in 2023. The pair went on to victory in the national Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans. Olive will be among the judges of this year's state competition on May 6. (Billy Pope)
Four Alabama chef teams are set to compete in the ninth Annual Alabama Seafood Cook-Off (ASCO) May 6 at The Wharf in Orange Beach.
Alabama Gulf Seafood announced that chefs Laurence Agnew (Villaggio Grille, Orange Beach), Robbie Nicolaisen (The Hound, Auburn), Kyle Ogden (Odette, Florence) and Emilio Urban (Coastal Orange Beach, Orange Beach) will compete for the state title, a $2,500 prize and the opportunity to represent Alabama in the 21st annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO), which will take place in in New Orleans in late summer.
“This year we saw the highest number of entries submitted in ASCO history from the Gulf region of the state, which is why we have two competing chefs from that region. We were excited about all recipe entries this year and were blown away by the creativity our state chefs exhibited,” said Brody Olive, executive chef at Perdido Beach Resort and 2023 winner of both the Alabama Seafood Cook-Off and national Great American Seafood Cook-Off. “We cannot wait to see our four finalists’ creations that highlight Alabama Gulf seafood in such unique ways.”
Four finalists are set to compete in the ninth annual Alabama Seafood Cook-Off on May 6. (Big Communications)
The selection process required chefs to submit a recipe including Alabama Gulf seafood as the featured ingredient. Each recipe was made anonymous, while a panel of judges reviewed them and selected participants based on Alabama location (one participant each chosen from the north, central and Gulf regions, plus a wild card selection). Judging criteria that will be used at the ASCO competition — such as creativity, composition and harmony of ingredients — were also considered.
Competing chef recipe selections are:
- Chef Laurence Agnew — “King Billy Whelkomes You”: charcoal Alabama croaker “on the half shell,” Gulf whelk and Admiral oyster stew with blue crab fat croutons, fennel, celery and purple deadnettle Italian salsa verde.
- Chef Robbie Nicolaisen — charcoal’d triggerfish, blue crab and Conecuh sausage spoonbread, dressed sea beans, burnt lemon and “she crab” beurre blanc.
- Chef Kyle Ogden — “Spring Tide”: pompano filet, crab and shrimp mousse, focaccia stuffing, arugula pesto, gai lan agrodolce and Fresno chili emulsion.
- Chef Emilio Urban — “Fruits of the Gulf”: spiced Gulf shrimp, pickled cucumbers, hibiscus fumet foam and roasted yellow pepper beurre blanc, garnished with black bean crunch and Spanish mackerel floss, mackerel chicharrón.
The Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission (ASMC) has scheduled two days of events to foster enhanced connection among its members, longtime industry professionals and Alabama chefs. In addition to the competition, attendees will learn from some of Alabama’s leading professionals in the seafood and sustainability industry.
Chef Brody Olive works on his winning dish at last year’s Alabama Seafood Cook-Off. (contributed)
On Sunday, May 5, competitors, event judges and ASMC professionals will gather at Voyagers Restaurant for a Gulf seafood-centered welcome dinner prepared by Olive, last year’s winner. Seafood industry professionals will deliver remarks.
Monday, May 6, will begin with a tour of Claude Peteet Mariculture Center, the production and restocking site for thousands of fisheries and place of study and research for select Gulf species.
“We are excited to give our competing chefs this year an example of the many ways the industry aims to protect the Gulf and its inhabitants,” said Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “The educational component of the ASCO weekend is just as important as the competition. It’s vital our chefs understand the restoration portion of Alabama Gulf seafood.”
The ninth annual Alabama Seafood Cook-Off will be held in Marlin Circle at The Wharf beginning at 6 p.m. Chef teams will have one hour to prepare their dishes and then present them to a panel of experienced industry judges consisting of Chef Jim Smith, owner and executive chef at Mobile’s The Hummingbird Way, ASMC board chairman and 2011 winner of both the Alabama Seafood Cook-Off and GASCO; Olive; Arwen Rice, executive chef at Red or White in Mobile; and Bob Carlton, veteran food writer at AL.com.
The Monday competition is open to the public, and there is no cost for entry. In addition to a live cooking competition as the sun sets on the Alabama Gulf, guests will enjoy live music and a cash bar.
