The Faux Pas Lodge Invitational in Venice has always been a great way to spend a summer weekend. Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the invitational, one of the Southeast’s premier fishing rodeos, with three days full of fishing, fun, and prizes.
Each year, this special event welcomes more than 2,000 participants and serves as a benefit for Wish to Fish Louisiana, a nonprofit providing opportunities for children and families to get outside and go fishing with educational seminars and more. But this year, it is getting even better with a seafood boucherie.
Yes, you read that correctly: seafood boucherie.
On Saturday, July 28, this inaugural culinary event will be presented to rodeo participants by Michael Nelson, executive chef of GW Fins, with help from Tom Wolfe, executive chef of The Rib Room; Austin Kirzner, executive chef of Redfish Grill; and Michael Brewer, corporate executive chef for Brechtel Hospitality.
During the event, each of these four chefs will use fish caught during the rodeo to demonstrate unique ways to utilize frequently discarded parts of the fish in ways that are both delicious and sustainable.
For several years, Michael has been promoting this practice in sustainability, and this culinary demonstration is a perfect opportunity to continue highlighting a variety of ways to use as many parts of fish as possible. Michael believes that, by learning to use the whole fish, fishermen across the state can create a broader resource of food and boost the sustainability of species being caught in the region—and that is never a bad idea.
Those attending this seafood boucherie will see each of the chefs prepare the following:
- Ceviche, mango, Fresno chile, crispy yucca, and crispy fried fin wings, in both buffalo and Korean style (Chef Michael Nelson)
- Gulf Fish Escabéche with olive oil, charred lime, pickled carrots, and grilled tomato-cilantro relish (Chef Tom Wolfe)
- Grilled Fish Tacos with spicy pickled summer vegetable relish, heirloom tomatoes, and cane marinated red cabbage (Chef Austin Kirzner)
- Grilled Fish Heads with lime cilantro and pineapple coulis, plus fish cheeks and collars (Chef Michael Brewer)
After the demonstration, rodeo participants may sample each of these sustainable dishes for themselves and will be encouraged to take it a step further by adopting the practice in their own kitchens.
This culinary event will be held at Venice Marina (237 Sports Marina Rd.). Chef demonstrations will be held from 1 to 3 p.m.; sampling will begin at 3 p.m. and last until 5 p.m.
For more information about the Faux Pas Lodge Invitational as well as the First Annual Boucherie Culinary Event, visit fauxpaslodge.com.
For sustainable seafood recipes, check out our roundup of 7 Whole Fish Recipes for Summer and Michael’s recipe for Fish Heads in Curry Broth.
