The Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition this year awarded four winners with top prizes in Seattle, Washington. Thirteen companies entered 20 products in three categories – Retail, Foodservice, and Beyond the Plate. The Seattle People's Choice rounded out the awards for the competition.
Julie Decker, executive director of the foundation, announced the winners at Pacific Marine Expo on Friday, 22 November.
Barnacle Foods took first place in Retail with its Bullwhip Hot Sauce.
High Liner Foods won the Foodservice category with its Alaskan Wild Wings, a cornmeal crusted, boneless pollock "wing."
Wild by Nature took the Beyond the Plate category with its fish-skin jewelry.
The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation launched the annual competition 27 years ago to encourage the development of value-added products and maximize utilization of wild Alaska seafood. Part of the competition is a series of receptions in Seattle and Alaska fishing towns, where the products are available to sample. The Seattle reception was attended by more than 150 taste-testers and voters, whose ballots were tabulated to determine the Seattle People's Choice award.
That prize went to Alaskan Leader Seafoods, or the American Cod Co., for its Wild Alaska Cod Fish and Chips Kit.
"This is the second time we've won in three years, and it's amazing," said Keith Singleton, who runs Alaskan Leader Seafoods' value-added division.
Decker also announced that the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association has become a major supporting partner of the foundation with a three-year contribution totaling USD 150,000 (EUR 136,000).
The competition winners will be entered in Seafood Expo North America's Seafood Excellence Competition for new products. The foundation also hosts exhibit space for the category winners at the expo in Boston. Prizes for that global seafood products contest will be announced at the event in March.
Photo courtesy of Jes Hathaway/National Fisherman
