World’s First Shrimp Hot Dog?

If former "Top Chef Masters" contestant Rick Mooney has anything to say about it, there will soon be another vegetarian option at concession stands across the nation: the shrimp dog.

Mooney competed on the second season of "Top Chef Masters" and left as a finalist. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Mooney's specialty is  in seafood cuisine. In fact, his RM Seafood restaurant at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas has experienced 100% increase in profit since his performance on "Top Chef Masters."

Mooney is also one of the earliest and most recognizable celebrities promoting the use of sustainable fishing practices. He is a founding member of the Chef’s Coalition, Seafood Choices Alliances, and a chef’s advisory board member of Ecofish.

Lately, he's been using his seafood know-how to create a healthy new concessions option that's the first of its kind -- a shrimp hot dog made with fresh garlic, ginger, and scallions. To keep the food cost-effective, he says he may add a small amount of tilapia to the blend as well.

“We’ve been tweaking a recipe over at the Vienna Beef factory, where they can extrude the stuff in a few minutes,” he said.  ”We’ve tried them charred, boiled, and steamed, and the best way still seems to be in the “dirty water” method [held in a bath within a steaming device].”

Currently, Mooney has yet to develop a bun for the hot dog -- as well as a name -- but with the progress already made, one can expect to see shrimp dogs hitting the market sooner rather than later.

Source: Steve Dolinsky via Vocalo.org