ITTA BENA — It’s National Catfish Month! Heartland Catfish Company, the nation’s leading supplier of fresh and frozen catfish products, is celebrating National Catfish Month by announcing the 2022 Heartland Catfish Culinary Contest winner while celebrating the beloved fish throughout the month of August.
Recognizing the dedication and innovation of the greater U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry, President Ronald Reagan declared the month of August as National Catfish Month in 1984. Today, 94% of all catfish produced in the United States comes from four Southeastern states: Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Heartland Catfish recently cosponsored The Catfish Culinary Contest with its friends at Viking Cooking School and The Catfish Institute.
Submissions were critiqued by a judging panel which included James Beard Award-nominated chef, Taylor Bowen Ricketts; kitchen manager and head chef instructor at Viking Cooking School, Loren Leflore; Miss Catfish, Jillian Roberts; and VP of Sales and Marketing at Heartland Catfish Company, Jonathan Mills.
Heartland Catfish is thrilled to announce Lisa Bynum as The Catfish Culinary Contest winner. Also known as The Cooking Bride, Lisa is a dedicated food blogger who showcases traditional Southern recipes and creative spins on old classics. Lisa’s recipes have been featured by several publications including Country Living, Delish, Better Homes and Gardens and has been named “13 Southern Food Bloggers You Should be Following” by Southern Kitchen.
Lisa’s Mediterranean Catfish Fillets have been prepared by Chef Leflore. Follow the link to watch as Leflore walks you through step by step the winning recipe ingredients and preparation. The Catfish Culinary Contest winner receives a supply of Heartland Catfish, along with a Heartland Catfish prize bag.
“Catfish is a healthy, delicious protein that we love to celebrate,” said Jonathan Mills. “The Heartland Catfish team encourages our customers and all catfish lovers to celebrate National Catfish Month with us and prepare the easy-to-make, family-friendly winning contest recipe.”
Whether it is prepared baked, grilled, blackened, as an appetizer or as an entrée, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is extremely versatile and also provides an environmentally safe source of protein consumers can trust.
For more ways to celebrate National Catfish Month and information, visit Heartland Catfish Company’s website.
