The participants in the Cap Cana Billfish Shootout proved that not only can they catch the largest fish in the ocean, they can cook it up in the galley of the boat as well! When not chasing the white and blue marlin that roam the waters off of Cap Cana Marina and Resort, located on beautiful eastern coast of the Dominican Republic, several teams cooked up a favorite dish and entered it into the first-annual Cap Cana Cookoff.

Sponsored by your beloved food blog, YourMeatTooth.com the Cookoff saw a wide range of dishes prepared for the competition. While we’ve always stuck to meat recipes, this contest was opened up a bit more. As it takes place during a fishing tournament, there was a seafood category, as well as a meat category and a chicken category. Three winners were selected based on the originality of their dish, presentation and of course taste.

Despite some drizzly conditions, teams showed up with fantastic food for judging and to share with the other competitors and observers in the tournament. Hans Mangual and Carlos Garcia received top honors for their team’s version of the Cuban dish “gallinita rellera.” They wowed the judges with a beautiful snapper served whole and stuffed with squid risotto. It did not last long as everyone dove in for seconds and thirds. Marlin Chaser’s “not-so-chili chili” finished in second place and Team Teke won third for their smoked dorado and smoked wahoo.

All of the winners received custom-made aprons from YourMeatTooth.com that featured an insulated drink holder, retractable bottle opener, oven mitt, dish rag and a place for your tongs and tools. These custom aprons were a big hit at the cookoff and will be available for sale on the site very soon.

We’d like to thank the staff at Cap Cana for all of their help setting up the competition, as well as Rick Alvarez from the Billfish Shootout. Hopefully next year we’ll get to taste even more dishes.

Posted Contests |