Award-winning Nashua chef Michael Buckley represented New Hampshire at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans recently. He competed against 18 chefs from across the U.S. for the highly coveted crown honoring the best seafood chef in the nation. Chef Buckley used sustainable ingredients native to NH, having worked with local farms and fishermen to develop his recipes for the competition.
“We have a rich tradition of seafood in New Hampshire, one that's helped define the food and flavors of New England. I am very honored to be representing my home state this year,” Buckley said, before leaving for the competition. “I’ve built my recipes using ingredients that come from different parts of the state, and I’m looking forward to sharing many of our local flavors with the rest of the country.”
Buckley used fish farmed where the Piscataqua River meets the Atlantic, shellfish from Great Bay, and herbs and vegetables from local, sustainable inland farms. Many of the ingredients came from long-established partnerships between Buckley and sustainable providers, who he has worked with in his restaurants – Surf in Nashua and Portsmouth, MT’s Local Kitchen and Wine Bar in Nashua, Buckley’s Great Steaks in Merrimack, and Surf Sushi Bar in Nashua.
The cook-off will also be broadcast nationally on PBS and the Food Channel at a later date still to be determined.
“For me, this all about showing off New Hampshire’s seafood,” Buckley said. “We have a lot to offer, and I can’t wait to put our flavors on a national stage.”
Current Issue - May 2024