Following on the heels of other popular Maine Lobster Festival traditions, including the Sea Goddess Coronation and a 2 hour parade extravaganza through Main Street, is the Annual Lobster Festival Seafood Cooking Contest. This year’s event, open only to amateur cooks, will be held at the North Entertainment Tent at the Rockland Public Landing on Friday, August 1st, beginning at 9 a.m. Judging will follow at 11:30.

Finalists have been notified, and the roster and their recipes includes: Ellie Souza with her Double Stuffed Sea Scallops, Christopher Oliver’s Baked Stuffed Lobster Tail on a Cedar Plank, Maine Shrimp Chimichanga by Jan Campbell, Seafood Strudel by Mary Brett Rabaioli, and Antonia Ionescu’s Lobster Capellini with Herb and Lobster Oil.

In deciding on finalists, recipe criteria were evaluated on originality, diversity, variety of ingredients, whether recipes could be recreated within contest setting, and of course, seafood had to be an ingredient! Audience members will have a chance to sample the dishes, and the 3 official judges for the contest are: Rockland Mayor Hal Perry; Jim Bazin, Creative Director of Maine Food and Lifestyle Magazine; and U.S.S. Whidbey Island Commanding Officer Michael Junge.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.