Yesterday seven chefs gathered at the Slovenian Cultural Center in Biloxi, MS, to compete for the title of King of Mississippi Seafood. Last year's Seafood King, Chef Vishwesh Bhatt of SNACKBAR in Oxford, was on hand to lend sustanance to all with servings of his divine Black Pepper Shrimp, which he served over a cold salad of watermelon, radishes, lime juice and mint. It may be the perfect summer dish.

Kitchen and Culture's Susan Ford  and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board's Ashley Roth were on hand to serve as a judges while your's truly hoovered about taking pictures. At one point I jumped in to sample some of Susan's dishes and snatch a glass of wine from the judges' table only to be chastised by a contest official and shooed away. Oh well. The panel of 6 judges, which included Mallory Gilson, the newly crowned 17-year  old Mississippi Shrimp Queen, plowed through all seven entries over the course of a couple of hours.

The top three winning dishes differed radically. Taking third place was Chef Glen Clarke of the Palace Casino in Biloxi with his Snapper in Oyster Andouille Butter Sauce. In second place was Chef David Crews, Chef/Owner of The Chef's Table, a collective of private chefs; an instructor with The Mississippi Delta Community College Culinary School in Greenwood; and Executive Chef/Owner of the soon-to-open Carlyle House in Ruleville. (This guy gets around and his Chicken Fried Cobia with Spicy Corn Maquechoux was kick-ass. I know because I managed to sneak a bite while the contest official was looking the other way. I am definitely heading to the Delta for the Opening of Carlyle House).  Chef Heath Johnson of City Grocery took first place and the crown for Pan Fried Crabcakes served over Watermelon/Chile Salsa with Crispy Potato Ribbon and Smoked Oysters. It looked incredible and I approached with fork in hand. It nearly broke my heart when I was chased away and did not get to try the dish.