2009 Coast Day Crab Cake Cook-Off
contestant Susan Lipp.
Photo by Evan Krape
Be sure to bring your appetite to Coast Day. Seafood is on the menu!
Sponsored by the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE) and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, Coast Day is a free event that celebrates Delaware’s coastal resources and UD’s marine research. It will be held Sunday, Oct. 3, rain or shine, at UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chefs and amateur foodies alike can learn new approaches to cooking seafood at three culinary presentations. At 12 p.m. Lisa Brisch of website Orange Pomegranate will demonstrate how to cook fish with Korean cilantro sauce. At 1:30 p.m., Betty Burleigh, chef and owner of Dinner is Served in Bear, Del., will show how to make south of the border camaron (shrimp) farfalle salad. And at 3 p.m., Kris Etze, chef and owner of Abra…ca…dinner! in Lewes, will make seared sea scallops with garlic, tomato, and olive compote.
Two of Coast Day’s most delicious traditions also are on the schedule: the Crab Cake Cook-Off and the Seafood Chowder Challenge. Beginning at 11 a.m., the Crab Cake Cook-Off will get started. Eight finalists will prepare their recipes in their quest to make “Delaware's Best Crab Cakes.” A pre-selected panel of three judges will evaluate entries at noon, and the winners will be announced at 1 p.m.
The Seafood Chowder Challenge begins at noon and features a friendly competition between the First State Chefs Association and the Delmarva Chefs and Cooks Association. Visitors will be invited to sample a 2-ounce portion of each association’s chowder and then vote for their favorite. The winner will be named at 3 p.m. Clams, donated by Seawatch International Inc., in Milford, Del., will be the featured seafood in this year’s chowders.
A new addition this year, guests can stop by the Food Festival area to watch ice sculptures of marine animals being made by members of the First State Chefs Association at 1 p.m.
A large variety of seafood will be available for purchase, including seafood soups and chowders, and crab-cake and soft-shell crab sandwiches. Live lobsters also will be available for purchase; interested guests should bring a cooler for storage unless their commute home is less than 30 minutes. Non-seafood items also will be available.
Coast Day is supported by Gamesa Corp., Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, OSG Ship Management Inc., PNC Bank, UTEC Survey Inc., and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For more information about Coast Day, and to see the event program, visit www.decoastday.org. You can also call 302-831-8083 for more information.
For more about CEOE, visit www.ceoe.udel.edu. To learn more about Delaware Sea Grant, visit www.deseagrant.org.