Great American Seafood Cook-Off.

Seafood is one of the best tasting food there is. It's fresh, it's easy to get, and it's healthy.

This year's Great American Seafood Cook-Off to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana has five finalists:

Chef Paul Anders of Colorado with his Colorado Striped Bass Panzanella

Chef Tafari Campbell of Maryland with his Pan Roasted Glazed Rockfish with Peas and Carrots

Chef John Currence of Mississippi with his Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice

Chef Mark Holley of Texas with his Texas Gulf Shrimp

Chef Brian Landry of Louisiana with his Louisiana Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet

And out of the five dishes in the cook off, Chef Brian Landry's is the recipe I found most enticing.

Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into ¼ inch pieces, (other smoked sausage or bacon can be substituted)
1 each sweet onion, diced
4 each celery stalks, diced
4 each garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon creole seasoning separated
1 teaspoon dry oregano
5 each whole peeled canned roma tomatoes (approx. 1 - 15 oz can)
5 each whole peeled fresh roma tomatoes
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 - 15 oz cans white kidney/cannellini beans (other white beans can be substituted)
2 bottles Michelob Amber beer
4 pounds fresh Louisiana head-on shrimp,
16-20 count
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 cups breadcrumbs, panko if possible
1 ½ cups ground parmesan
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

It looks delicious, and the ingredients are not hard to find. I'm going to try and make this this month because it's my mom and grandma's birthday month. And I wouldn't dare try changing the recipe because it's perfect the way it is.

Visit www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com to vote for your favorite dish and get a chance to win a trip to New Orleans.