Fires blazed and seafood sizzled as New Orleans hosted the fifth annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off, where executive chef Michael Riggs, an associate professor at the Culinary Arts Program at Bowling Green Technical College, participated. The results of the tasty competition are presented in The Great American Seafood Cook-off 2009, airing Sunday, April 12 at 5:30/4:30 p.m. CT and Thursday, April 16 at 10:30 / 9:30 p.m. CT on KET2.
During the two-day competition, 15 chefs from 14 different states prepared their best dishes using the seafood indigenous to their states. The Great American Seafood Cook-off 2009 contains the most dramatic highlights from the event, where overcooked fish and other culinary calamities cause major stress for the contestants as they attempt to create a masterpiece in three hours.
Riggs' dishes included blackened tilapia and heirloom tomatoes topped with garlic sautéed shrimp and paddlefish caviar and "Bluegrass Catfish Cakes" with Cajun tartar sauce. He was assisted by Tammy Inscoe, a second-year culinary student at BGTC.
The Great American Seafood Cook-off 2009 is produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
