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At St. Supéry, we are passionate about enjoying our sustainably farmed wines with seafood that has been farmed or fished sustainably, so we created a multi-faceted Great Sustainable Seafood Tour to increase awareness of sustainably sourced seafood and to promote protecting our oceans for future generations. For the recipe contest, we asked that each original dish be made using sustainable seafood, be delicious and pair well with our Napa Valley Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.
We put together a panel of esteemed judges to rate the four finalists and determine a winner. Chef Ken Frank of La Toque in Napa, Jordan Bow, President of Royal Hawaiian Seafood and Christophe Smith of Made to Taste joined St. Supéry executives to taste the finalist dishes, all prepared by Estate Chef Tod Kawachi, to crown the winner.
The scores were surprisingly close with fewer than 5 points between first and fourth place, but the Grand Prize Winning dish was Mussels with Pancetta Fennel Herbs and Citrus made by Emily F. of Santa Barbara, CA. She used locally harvested mussels in a “creamy, spicy, citrusy and herby sauce” that paired well with St. Supéry’s Napa Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc. Emily won a trip to Napa Valley and gets an exclusive invitation to visit to Dollarhide Ranch. She intends to travel in the spring of 2021.
The First Runner Up was Leah L. from Ada, OK with a Luscious Crab and Fried Green Tomatostadas with Shishito-Scallion Relish recipe. The judges noted the unique texture created by adding panko to traditional cornmeal in the fried green tomato (which was picked from the winery garden that morning) and commented on the crab; Leah used Blue Crab from Chesapeake Bay. When Leah entertains with seafood, she likes to share information about how it is caught or harvested to make the guests appreciate what they are enjoying so much more.
Pistachio Crusted Scallops with a Grapefruit & Saffron Gastrique & Braised Fennel submitted by Lynn A in Nebraska was Second Runner up and Lemony Tempura Fish and Nori Chips with Grapefruit Mayo-Ponzu from Hidemi W. from Indiana was a delicious and creative finalist dish as well. The People’s Choice Winner went to Dorian B. from Florida for her Caribbean Tropical Lionfish recipe that received 105 votes on the online portal. The judges really liked this sustainable option since lionfish are an invasive species that have a potential negative impact on the habitat for native species on the Florida coast, so the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages people to remove lionfish from Florida – all the better if they turn it into something delicious.
We encourage you to make these recipes, paired with our sauvignon blanc, for optimum enjoyment of course, and let us know what you think. We will hold a recipe contest in 2021, so it is not too early to start your creativity in the kitchen.
As always, we can play a small part in protecting the oceans and environment for future generations by choosing sustainable seafood and Best Choice fish from Seafood Watch. “The glory of the world’s oceans could be restored within a generation”, according to a Guardian article that encourages us to use the knowledge at our disposal to deliver a healthy ocean to our grandchildren.
October 20, 2020