Sweet Grown Alabama hosted their 10th-annual Seafood Cook-Off at The Wharf in Orange Beach on Monday evening.

In the competition, four chef teams from across the state are selected to compete, with each challenged to cook and serve a dish featuring Alabama Gulf seafood and at least one locally grown ingredient to a panel of judges. The winner receives a $2,500 cash prize and will also represent Alabama at the nationally recognized Great American Seafood Cook-Off later this summer. Judges scored dishes based on presentation, creativity, ingredient harmony, craftsmanship and flavor.

Ellie Watson, director for Sweet Grown Alabama, said The Wharf gives them a better opportunity for the public to watch local chefs cook their signature dishes and to see what the local seafood industry is all about.

"The Wharf in Orange Beach is an excellent spot to highlight our state's great seafood industry and watch incredible chefs from across the state compete for the title of Seafood Cook-Off champion," Watson said. "The entire team at The Wharf was super hospitable and we loved having visitors who were shopping and dining at The Wharf walk up to join us and watch the cook-off."

At this year's competition, Emilio Urban, chef from CoastAL Orange Beach, was one of the competing chefs, having also competed in last year's cook-off. Originally from Fairhope, Urban has over 17 years of experience in the culinary industry having previously served as the chef de cuisine at Fisher's Upstairs Fine Dining Restaurant, where he trained and worked under renowned chefs Bill Briand and Mike Andrzejewski. In this year's competition, his dish consisted of spiced cobia with radish, savory blue crab basque cheesecake, burnt honey, bacon brittle, watermelon pearls and lemon drop pepper beurre blanc with garlic and fresh herbs.

Three other teams from Alabama competed, including Hatch from Huntsville, the Depot from Auburn, and Odette from Florence. In the end, the Depot was the winning team with their dish called "Alabama Summer," consisting of marinated pecan grilled cobia with sweet corn, bacon from Bill-E's in Fairhope, fried green tomatoes, cobia confit lump blue crab rillette, charred peach, blistered okra relish and black lemon herb butter.