The Norwegian Seafood Council and Daniel Galmiche challenge chefs of the future to develop and compete with innovative dishes to showcase new product to the UK, Norwegian Fjord Trout, in effort to win an educational trip to learn about and cook with the fish at source.
The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) and Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Galmiche are teaming up with acclaimed catering educators, Westminster Kingsway College and the Craft Guild of Chefs to establish a professional chefs development competition for second year students.
The inaugural competition will task the students to design and cook with one of Norway’s best kept secrets, Fjord Trout; a sea-reared trout with deep red-orange flesh and rich nutty flavours, making it perfectly-suited for modern restaurant menus. The competition, held April – May 2016, for NSC is an opportunity to educate the next generation of chefs about the versatility of Fjord Trout in cooking and also about the importance of sustainable fisheries management in Norway.
Second year students at Westminster Kingsway College have been tasked to design and produce a starter or main course dish showcasing Norwegian Fjord Trout. They will learn from the best with a competition briefing seminar, led by product ambassador Daniel Galmiche and Chef Lecturer, José Souto. The seminar will educate students on the provenance and sustainability of Norwegian Fjord Trout, followed by a cookery masterclass ran by Daniel on how to treat Fjord Trout with culinary respect and the clever flavour combinations to take dishes to the next level, to inspire some recipe genius for their competition entries.
Competition guidelines state that the students’ recipes should be for a brasserie-style menu that best shows of the quality and versatility of Norwegian Fjord Trout. Recipes will be judged by a paper entry judging panel and from this, 10 finalists will be invited to a live cook off on 16th May, where a maximum of 2 hours will be allowed to create and present an original and inspired dish showcasing Fjord Trout. Daniel Galmiche and NSC will then work with a panel of expert judges from Westminster Kingsway College and The Craft Guild of Chefs to taste and consider each dish. Press are invited to attend the cook off and awards ceremony on 16th May from 3.30pm until 7pm – contact Jocelyn on jb@seafood.no to confirm your place.
First, second and third place winners will be selected and presented with their awards and reception drinks will follow. The much sought after first prize being an educational trip to Norway to see Fjord Trout at source plus Fjord Trout for a year, NSC chef whites, engraved Flint & Flame 8” chef knife (courtesy of Flint & Flame) & Student Membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs for one year (courtesy of the Craft Guild of Chefs).
Westminster Kingsway College Chef Lecturer, Jose Souto explains the concept behind the competition
“Here at Westminster Kingsway College, we pride ourselves on partnering with producers and products of the highest quality and Norwegian Fjord Trout falls into this category. Trout farmed in the ice cold waters of the Norwegian fjords have a great pedigree and live in salt water that is fed by fresh meltwater from glaciers. In fact, it is said that these fish are ‘kissed by a glacier’, producing a healthy, strong fish that is packed with flavour and a natural colour that is vibrant and beautiful. No matter how you use Fjord Trout; smoked, raw or cooked, it is a stunning product that we are happy to show our students – the chefs of tomorrow. The winner of the Norwegian Fjord Trout competition will be lucky enough to visit the fjords where these trout live and experience the wonders that Norway has to offer, as well as learning all there is to know about these fantastic fish.”
Andrew Green, CEO Craft Guild of Chefs remarks
“Here at the Craft Guild we really embrace all that is good about the excellent fish from Norway, and Fjord Trout is a great example of fish that is both versatile to cook with, stunning to look at and has the most excellent taste profile. A competition like this really shows off the talent that we have in this country, with these young students getting the chance to work with the best fish around, great match, best students, best Norwegian Trout! A competition like this allows each competitor to test judges taste buds with some real innovation and nothing excites us more than seeing this happen right before our very eyes, judges want to have difficulty in picking a winner, they love to have debate and really see the young chefs of today get ready for their place in some of the best kitchens around.”
Jack-Robert Møller, UK Director at Norwegian Seafood Council comments
“This is an important time for us with the official introduction of Fjord Trout to the UK, and this competition helps mark the start of an exciting journey. Norway has impeccable standards when it comes to the management of sustainable fisheries and our aquaculture techniques are considered to be among the best in the world. Combining hard-earned experience, advanced technology and the natural conditions, our industry is able to produce high quality, sea-reared Fjord Trout worthy of a premium position in the market. We are very proud of our relationship with Westminster Kingsway College and look forward to sharing Fjord Trout with their students and educating them on our sustainable fisheries management. Above all, we look forward to tasting some truly delicious and inspired Fjord Trout dishes! We know the caliber of chefs leaving the college is second to none, and we hope that this competition will educate and inspire our next generation chefs to incorporate Fjord Trout into their future menus.”
For more information about Norwegian Seafood Council click here