Birmingham chef wins Alaska Seafood Recipe Challenge

Sudha Saha, group executive chef of the Saffron Restaurant in Birmingham, has been crowned the winner of the Alaska Seafood Recipe challenge.

The competition, which took place on 15 February in the M&J Seafood development kitchen in London, was organised in association with The Craft Guild of Chefs, and it invited professional chefs to devise new and innovative recipes for sustainable and wild Alaska Seafood.

Three chosen finalists cooked their recipes live in front of the judges (Martin Bates, Craft Guild of Chefs; Steve Munkley, Royal Garden Hotel; Christopher Basten, Marriott County Hall Hotel) where their technique, presentation and the taste of the completed dish were assessed.

Saha's winning dish featured pan fried spice scented Alaska Salmon, Kasoori Methi flavoured baby spinach & assorted mushroom Bhaji, tomato Achar, Moilee sauce.

Saha is passionate about his food: "My style of cooking is a more modern approach to traditional Indian cooking. I try to break conventional boundaries, opening our eyes to multicultural cuisine. I prefer to use local and seasonal produce, flavoured with authentic spices and give a western presentation.

"The balance of flavours is very important for any complete dish, so it is imperative to use the right quantity and quality of ingredients from the start. I always try to give the finesse of Indian cooking a very novel approach."

The well deserved winner has been rewarded with the Alaska Seafood Challenge trophy, a voucher for a set of professional knives and a day's work experience in a top restaurant kitchen.

In second place was Neil Snowball, Jnr, sous chef of six months for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges followed by Robert Stordy, chef lecturer in Culinary Arts and International and specialist cuisine of five years at the University of Derby.

Words: Maria Bracken

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