Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute recently partnered with the Careers Through Culinary Education (C-CAP) and Samuels and Son Seafood for the annual C-CAP Teacher’s conference in Philadelphia on July 10–11.
Chef Sylva Senat, Top Chef Season 14 contestant, restaurateur, and CCAP alum and Chef Davis Denick of Samuels and Son worked with recent C-CAP graduate and mentee, Dominique Akers, to create two SWAP Meat recipes featuring Alaska pollock and Alaska rockfish for a demonstration and tasting with the C-CAP instructors during the conference. C-CAP provides culinary training and scholarship opportunities to underprivileged youth for career opportunities in the culinary field.
The mission of ASMI’s SWAP Meat program is to make it easy to feel good about what you eat by simply replacing meat with delicious, natural and sustainable seafood from Alaska. This concept creates a completely different menu item utilizing the same inventory and prep providing an extremely efficient way to offer more variety with minimal impact on the kitchen and the environment.
By asking chefs to recreate protein-centered dishes with a seafood option, consumers can incorporate healthier foods into their diet, without sacrificing the taste they love. Chef Sylva created two SWAP Meat recipes for the demonstration.
Baked Alaska Rockfish with Corn Pudding and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette and Alaska Pollock Baby Bun Sliders. Alaska pollock offers wide appeal with its snow-white, tender fillet with a mild flavor and beautiful flake. Rockfish is known for its delicate, mild flavor, pearly-white color, and tender yet meaty texture. Both species are an affordable, delicious option to replace meat with Alaska seafood in popular specialty dishes. Dominique was asked to participate in this ‘SWAP Meat for Alaska seafood’ demonstration as he recently won a scholarship to the CIA beginning in January. “When I won the scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America, my parents almost cried.”
C-CAP students, like Dominique, can attend culinary school through scholarships where they may not have had the chance prior to participating in the program. ASMI is committed to engaging young audiences about the benefits of wild, sustainable Alaska seafood. Working with future culinary professionals and pairing them with established chefs allows them a vital opportunity for mentorship and learning about Alaska seafood’s health and environmental benefits.
