EAU CLAIRE — A University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire dining services chef has received second prize in a national contest seeking creative recipes that use U.S. farm-raised catfish.
          Angel Alcantar, chef with Chartwells educational dining services, received a $500 cash award (and a catfish thermal bag) for his Oriental catfish recipe. The competition was sponsored by The Catfish Institute, a Mississippi-based association founded in 1986 to raise consumer awareness of the positive qualities of U.S. farm-raised catfish — catfish hatched and nurtured in pristine, environmentally controlled ponds.
          The contest was open to professional chefs in commercial and noncommercial operations. Recipes were judged on innovative use of U.S. farm-raised catfish, taste, ease of preparation, plating suggestion, and applicability to the segment of food service industry. Alcantar’s recipe placed second out of 400 recipes submitted in the noncommercial (business and industry, school, health care, college and university) category.
          Catfish has been revered as Southern fare, but creative chefs are discovering that the mild-flavored, versatile fish can be prepared in many ways, often in as little as 10 minutes.
          Alcantar’s Oriental catfish recipe — catfish marinated in sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, hoisin and soy sauce, cilantro and honey — yields 24 servings. Baked for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees, the catfish is served in five-ounce portions on a three-and-one-half-ounce bed of spicy cabbage, garnished with cilantro sprigs and toasted sesame seeds.
          The recipe is available from the Dining Services office, (715) 836-5261.
          UW-Eau Claire’s dining services program is administered by University Centers and Programs.
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Updated: March 14, 2001