The 12 finalists for this year’s Seafood Excellence Awards range from individual portions to full dinners, covering all manner of seafood from crab to squid to ahi tuna.
The awards, an annual event at Seafood Expo North America, showcase the newest offerings from leading seafood companies worldwide. The entries will be on display during the show in the New Product Showcase, with a winner to be announced on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in the Demonstration Theater.
A panel of three judges will be evaluating the entries on taste, packaging, market potential, convenience for end user, nutritional value and originality. They will name one winner in two categories: Best Retail Product and Best Foodservice Product.
Winning the award is seen as a mark of excellence and gives winners’ new offerings a boost. Mike Tigani, director of marketing for King & Prince Seafood in Brunswick, Ga., said his company won in the retail category last year for its bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp product, which is sold in Costco stores throughout the United States.
“It’s been a great product for us,” he said.
For Tigani, winning was doubly memorable. One of the judges, he said, worked for a retail chain and was so impressed with the King & Prince product, the retailer became a customer after the contest was over.
“Winning that opened up new doors in retail,” he said.
Tigani said the win was great public relations for the company, which displays the award prominently in its Brunswick, Ga. Headquarters.
“It’s right in our lobby,” he said.
King & Prince is competing for another award this year, this time in the foodservice category, with its Crab Sensations product. There are three other competitors in the category: Malaysia-based Golden Fresh Sdn Bhd, with its Firecracker Squid Chunk; and two products from Nova Scotia, Canada-based High Liner Foods — Pulled BBQ Salmon and Fish n Chips on a Stick.
Last year, High Liner Foods won the best new foodservice product for its Guinness-glazed salmon, featuring the well-known Irish stout. Jim Papadakis, brand manager at High Liner, said the company has a number of products in the line along with the salmon product, but given the fish’s popularity in America, “we thought salmon would be a good product to submit.”
Papadakis said he believed last year’s win was a first for the company, but not the first time High Liner has submitted a product to compete. Putting his company’s new products on display, he said, is a no-brainer at the show.
“The No. 1 reason why people come to the show is to see what’s new in the seafood industry,” he said.
Papadakis said the company was “really proud” of winning, and used the awards label in its marketing and other promotional materials, saying the award reinforces the product’s value.
For retail submissions this year, there are eight contenders: Maine, USA-based Absolutely Lobster, with its Absolutely Lobster with Truffle Butter; Bumble Bee Seafoods with its Bumble Bee SuperFresh Seared Ahi Tuna with Garlic Peppercorn Rub; Maine-based Cheating Gourmet with its Crab Crostini; Florida-based Fine Food Factory with its Seafood Paella; Greek seafood company G. Kallimanis S.A. with its Dorade (Greek sea bream) fillet with sweet red pepper sauce; Marine Harvest USA with its Rebel Fish Salmon with Sauce; Seattle-based Trident Seafoods with its Louis Kemp Sriracha Crab Delights; and American seafood wholesaler Yihe Corp. with its Alaskan Jack’s line of wild salmon.
