Catering students from across Scotland put their skills to the test in front of peers and fellow students for the Scottish Salmon Challenge, a showcase competition launched to celebrate the ongoing partnership between Scottish salmon and the Scottish Chefs Conference.
At the prestigious Scottish Chefs Conference, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, nine trainee chefs representing catering colleges across Scotland took part in the competition to prepare, cook and present salmon portions. Each competitor created a dish using salmon provided by The Scottish Salmon Company, with each submission judged by Head Chef David Jamieson of the Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro.
Fantastic Scottish produce
Representing the Scottish salmon industry, David Sandison from Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation said:
“The Scottish Chefs Conference is such an amazing event which celebrates fantastic Scottish produce while featuring the world’s best chefs sharing great skills and techniques.
“We wanted to celebrate our long-standing partnership with something special to mark the anniversary and do our bit to support and inspire Scotland’s chefs of the future. The Scottish Salmon Challenge sits well with the very ethos of the event, nurturing and sharing skills, while providing the opportunity to cook with top quality ingredients like Scottish salmon.”
The winner
Winning student, Sarah Littlejohn of New College Lanarkshire, will now undertake work experience with Chef Roy Brett at Ondine, one of Scotland’s top seafood restaurants. Each participant was presented with the latest Nathan Outlaw’s seafood recipe books, Fish Kitchen and British Seafood.
Conference organiser and top Scottish chef, Willie Pike MBE added:
“The world now knows that Scotland has some of the most fabulous produce on the planet and this goes hand in hand with the catering profession who we need to inspire and excite to cook and present this produce to the highest exacting standards.
“The skills on show for the Scottish Salmon Challenge are a key part of modern kitchen preparation. From expertly skinning and trimming the fish, to allow for an array of preparations such as curing, making terrines, roulades and ballotines.”