ORANGE BEACH-A dish prepared with one of the tasty fish species that can be reeled in from Alabama’s beautiful beaches was crowned champion of the 9th annual Alabama Seafood Cook-Off at The Wharf in Orange Beach this week.
Chef Kyle Ogden of Odette Restaurant in Florence, Alabama, prepared his “Spring Tide” dish with pompano as the centerpiece, and it proved to be the winning preparation against three other finalists – Chef Emilio Urban from CoastAL in Orange Beach, Chef Justin Fridley of The Depot in Auburn, and Chef Laurence Agnew of Villaggio Grille in Orange Beach.
Odette Chef Kyle Ogden Photo by: Billy Pope, ADCNR
Ogden and sous chef Taylor Bradley prepared pompano stuffed with shrimp and crab meat, flavored with the sweet and sour agrodolce sauce, plus fresh Alabama vegetables and herbs for pesto.
“We use pompano quite a bit in the restaurant,” Ogden said. “I wanted our dish to be something you could get in the restaurant while still elevating it to competition level. It really kind of showcased some of the Alabama seafood we use on a regular basis as well as the local produce we use on a day-to-day basis. Kodachrome Gardens is a 501(c)(3) charity garden in Florence. They donate a lot of produce to the community as well as sell to the restaurants. When they sell to us, the proceeds go to the community aspect of their garden. We also used some micro greens that one of our cook’s grandmother grows, called MeeMaw’s Greens.
“This was a really great competition. I was kind of surprised we won. Everybody’s dishes looked great. I had a friend taking pictures so I could see their finished plates. I’m just really happy we were able to win. Thankfully our plate came out exactly how we do it in the restaurant, so I was very, very happy with it.”
The judges, Chef Jim Smith of The Hummingbird Way restaurant in Mobile, Chef Brody Olive of Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Chef Arwen Rice of Red and White Restaurant in Mobile, and AL.com food writer Bob Carlton, were presented a variety of seafood preparations to judge. The dishes were awarded points in five categories: presentation, general impression and serving methods; creativity and practicality; composition and harmony of ingredients; correct preparation and craftsmanship; and flavor, taste and texture. Each category was worth up to 20 points for a total of 100 points.
Commissioner Chris Blankenship of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said the Alabama Seafood Cook-Off is a great opportunity to market the seafood industry in Alabama.
“A lot of people don’t know what all we do have on the Alabama Gulf Coast,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “We had coastal chefs, but we also had one from Auburn and one from Florence. They are cooking great seafood from one end of our state to the other. They’re serving it in Birmingham, Montgomery, Florence, Huntsville, Auburn and Tuscaloosa as well as down here on the coast. Anywhere in Alabama, you’re able to get that good, fresh local product.
“Like always, it’s great to get these chefs down here using Alabama seafood. We had snapper. We had croaker. We had shrimp. We had pompano. All four chefs used different types of fish and seafood. They mixed it with good local produce and herbs from Alabama. It’s great see them take Alabama seafood and put it together with other great Alabama products to make dishes that are just outstanding. I appreciate these chefs who take their creativity and really turn it into something special.”
Media Release/DAVID RAINER/Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
