Seafood Scotland (SFS) today launched its search to find the ‘Young Scottish Seafood Chef of the Year 2011’, with a competition aimed at chefs under 23 on 30^th June 2011. The competition was launched at ScotHot, the Scottish Hotel and Catering Expo, held in Glasgow.

Prizes for the winner include a specially commissioned trophy, a week’s work experience with a top Scottish chef, and the opportunity to cook for Seafood Scotland at events throughout the year, including a Ministerial dinner.

“We always have tremendous response to this competition and expect it to attract a high calibre of entrants from colleges and restaurants across Scotland,” said Sarah Holmyard, SFS Marketing Manager.

The competition is in its third year and is part of an ongoing package of measures designed to encourage greater domestic consumption of Scottish seafood. Chefs must submit recipes for a starter and a main dish, using seafood from a given selection of fish and shellfish species.

The recipes will be paper judged by a panel from the Federation of Chefs Scotland, who will choose six finalists to take part in a cook-off at the end of June. They will be looking for competitors to show imagination in their choice of recipe ingredients, for use of seasonal Scottish produce, and for skill in preparation, cooking and presentation.

The six lucky finalists will be invited to join a trip to the northeast of Scotland to see the seafood industry in action. They will visit Peterhead fish market, fish and shellfish processors, and go onboard fishing vessels. “These visits enable young chefs to see the wealth of fresh seafood landed in Scotland and fire their imagination to be creative with it,” explained Sarah.

The deadline for submission of entries is Thursday 28th April, and full details and an entry form can be downloaded from the SFS website, www.seafoodscotland.org or from the Federation of Chefs Scotland website, www.scottishchefs.com.