By ARABELLA SERRATA
Special to the PRESS
The 31st Annual Shrimp Cook-off and Seafood Festival has ended for the year, and many teams took home wins. The event is an annual tradition that encourages the local community to bring forth their best shrimp cuisine. It is hosted by the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce and funded by generous sponsors. This year, the event took place at the Sutherlands parking lot.
People’s Choice winners were the Blue Marlin Supermarket team with their stuffed shrimp. The team was made up of four individuals with assistance from employees at the market to prepare beforehand.
Albert Barrera, manager at the supermarket, recalled the team almost forgetting to turn in their chips for the tally.
“We ended up winning. We didn’t even know we were going to win. We enjoyed doing it. We looked forward to doing it again next year” said Barrera.
Pirates Landing, a local restaurant and bar, won first place in the professional division. Their team earned the place with their fried avocado shrimp. Reyes Seafood Products won first place in the amateur division, and the Port Isabel Early College High School culinary senior class won first place in the high school category.
“And that’s a wrap! Our 31st Annual Shrimp Cook-off & Seafood Festival was a huge success. We loved every moment spent with our amazing community, and we can’t thank you enough for your support!
Congratulations to all our winners! We would like to give a huge thank you to our judges, volunteers, and sponsors who all made this event possible,” stated the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce on their
official Facebook page.
The event sponsors include H-E-B, L&F Distributors of Harlingen, Sutherlands Port Isabel, The Lighthouse Boutique Hotel, PI and Brownsville Navigation District, Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation, Port Isabel Texas, The Coastal Current and the Cameron County Insurance Center. Volunteers for the event included Port Isabel Park Center LLC., Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority and New Horizon Health Center.
The 32nd Shrimp Cook-off and Seafood Festival will be held next year on Nov. 1. For updates, follow the Chamber’s Facebook page or visit their website at portisabelchamber.com.