Dashes of tangy Meyer lemon or apple vinaigrette complemented the sweetness of shallots, spring peas, sweet potatoes, or carrots, while swirls of aioli or sauces added a creamy savoriness—all to bring out the flavor of locally sourced scup at the 2025 Rhode Island High School Seafood Cook-Off.
Four competing teams of culinary students from Davies Career and Technical High School, East Providence High School Career and Technical Center, Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, and Westerly High School Career and Technology Pathways Program prepared their recipes for scup and shared them with 50 guests at the Tides Restaurant at Warwick CTC on April 22.
Students from the Warwick Area Career & Technical Center team prepare scup cakes for the 7th annual RI Seafood Cook-off competition.
Molly Ogren, chair of the Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative, speaks to the guests about the importance of purchasing Rhode Island-sourced seafood
As the guests sampled each dish, Molly Ogren from the RI Seafood Marketing Collaborative at the RI Department of Environmental Management spoke about the collaborative and its efforts to promote local seafood, like the scup for the cook-off, which was donated by Foley Fish and Narragansett Bay Lobsters.
“Buying local seafood supports a whole community of fishermen, fishing families, small businesses, and a statewide economy. Buying local seafood is the sustainable choice because it reduces food miles and the percentage of imported and exported seafood in the Ocean State,” she said. “This student competition is important because it not only shows the versatility of local seafood species but enriches students with the values of a sustainable food system. The students showed exemplary skills in processing and cooking locally caught seafood. Congratulations to all the students on their hard work and dedication to a more sustainable future.”
The guests voted for their favorite dish, and the prize went to the team from the East Providence High School Career and Technical Center for their preparation “Scup served with Israeli Couscous, Pea and Mint Puree, Carrot Puree, topped with Pea Tendrils, Apples, and an Apple Cider Vinaigrette.”
Kevin DiLlibero, executive chef of the Newport Restaurant Group, which sponsors the competition, complimented all the teams and added that meeting the challenge of not only coming up with recipes but learning how to fillet the fish, which they received whole, was impressive.
“I know I never cleaned the whole fish when I was your age,” he said, “so I commend you for that. Whole fish is not easy to clean … you should feel really proud of what you guys did today. And you should all feel very, very proud of what you put on the plate.”
The East Providence team included seniors Annabella Camelo, Haley Duarte, Artemis Pacheco, and junior Jaelynn French, led by chef instructor Marie-Claire McKillip and tech assistant Jennifer Montanez.
The team will be treated to lunch at Hemenway’s Restaurant in Providence, where their dish will be featured as a special in the coming weeks.
Students from the East Providence High School Career & Technical Center team prepare their winning dish of scup with Israeli couscous.
Event Sponsors
Warwick Area Career and Technical Center (host), Rhode Island Sea Grant, Newport Restaurant Group, URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences, Foley Fish, Narragansett Bay Lobsters, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management/Seafood RI, Rhode Island Hospitality Association, URI Coastal Institute
RECIPES
Scup with Israeli Couscous, Pea and Mint Puree, Carrot Puree *WINNER
East Providence High School Career & Technical Center
New England Style Scup Cakes with a Meyer Lemon Aioli
Warwick Area Career & Technical Center
Grilled Porgy with a Mustard Cream Sauce with Fresh Spring Peas and Crispy Potatoes
Davies Career and Technical High School
Grilled Scup over a Sweet Potato Foam/Puree with a Yuzu Kosho Creamy Dressing
Westerly Career & Technology Pathways Program
—Monica Allard Cox, Communications Director