Louisiana seafood is not only delicious, but healthy

Hold the butter, batter and sauces! Louisiana seafood can be a stand-alone star of the plate. While a marinade or seasoning sprinkle complements the natural sweetness of the six species of Louisiana seafood—alligator, shrimp, crab, crawfish, finfish and oysters—the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board is challenging chefs to keep it healthy.

The contest Louisiana Seafood for Life is calling all restaurants! Chefs are invited to create a healthy menu item utilizing Louisiana seafood as the primary source of protein, then enter their recipe and information into the form here. Recipes must be under 600 calories and less than 20 grams of fat per serving.

“We take for granted the healthy benefits of Louisiana seafood,” said Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the LSPMB. “The bounty from our waters is an outstanding source of lean protein and omega-3’s.”

One might wonder, what is the incentive for a restaurant to create a healthy menu item using Louisiana seafood?

“Current trends point to diners seeking healthy options when eating out in restaurants,” said Wendy Waren, VP of Communications for the Louisiana Restaurant Association. “Secondly, there’s a huge potential financial benefit from participating in the Louisiana Seafood for Life program—a $10,000 in media advertising for the winning restaurant.”

How does a restaurant become a winner? The LSPMB will continually promote the program and highlight the online restaurant listings along with their menu items. The public will then vote on their favorite Louisiana Seafood for Life healthy seafood dish and the winner will reap the great reward of recognition and advertising in their market.

The promotion starts now and runs through November 30, 2012. Visit Louisianaseafoodforlife.com to sign up and learn more!