Akshay Borges, chef at The String restaurant in Shetland, has been named the inaugural winner of the #PrideofPlate seafood competition.
The new contest, which was devised by trade body Seafood Scotland and run via Seafood from Scotland’s Instagram account, asked professional chefs to share a seafood dish of their own creation. The campaign is part of Seafood Scotland’s ongoing work to increase the use of Scottish seafood on menus across Scotland.
Borges’ winning surf and turf dish comprised locally-caught lobster and scallops and locally-raised pork, and shellfish. His prize is a week-long stage with Michelin-star chef Gary Foulkes at his restaurant, Angler, in London.
“I have been working for 10 years in Shetland, which lands some of the freshest seafood in the whole of Scotland,” Borges said. “The chance to work with a diverse range of Scottish seafood alongside a chef of Gary Foulkes’ ability will be a brilliant experience and will help take my cooking and organizational skills to the next level.”
Clare Dean, trade marketing manager at Seafood Scotland, said the response to the competition was fantastic with entries from across the country.
“We hope it has inspired chefs and will continue to drive creativity to expand the species they use and the seafood dishes they have on their menus,” she said.
The #PrideofPlate campaign in line with Connect Local’s Seafood Program for 2019, which aims to strengthen the local food and drink economy, including the seafood supply chain. This program also supports the implementation of the Scottish Food Tourism Action Plan.
Photo courtesy of Seafood Scotland
