Dean Max, executive chef of 3030 Ocean in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday won the 2010 Great American Seafood Cook-Off. Max earned the title of King of American Seafood with his Sebastian Inlet Clams BBLT (bacon, basil, lettuce and tomato).
(Click here to view SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Christine Blank’s interview with Max just prior to this weekend’s victory.)
Wesley True of True Restaurant in Mobile, Ala., placed second, while Mackenzie Arrington of Morrison’s Maine Course in Portland, Maine, and Peter Fischbach of Gourmet Dining Services at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, N.J., tied for third.
“The Great American Seafood Cook-Off is a showcase for both the chefs and American seafood and is an exciting way to educate consumers about the importance of sustainable seafood at the market and in restaurants,” said Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board and executive producer of the cook-off.
“Many of our competing states have been affected by the Gulf oil spill, which makes this year’s cook-off even more important,” he added. “It is a celebration of domestic seafood, the fishermen who catch it and the talented chefs who use it to create award winning dishes.”
The cook-off featured 14 contenders, each preparing a domestic-seafood dish reflecting the cuisine of their home state. Last year’s winner, Tory McPhail of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, who won with his Creole Mixed Seafood Grill, passed the crown to Max.
This year’s event was hosted by Jeff Corwin of the Animal Planet and Food Network’s Extreme Cuisine and co-hosted by renowned Louisiana chef John Folse.
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