Ben Sargent Shares Summer Seafood Secrets in Anticipation of New Cooking Channel Series: Hook, Line & Dinner

NEW YORK, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Best known as the chef and fisherman who ran a successful underground lobster roll business from his Brooklyn basement apartment, lifelong seafood lover Ben Sargent brings boundless knowledge, experience, and passion to his new primetime Cooking Channel series Hook, Line & Dinner. By bike, boat, car or surfboard, Ben Sargent embarks on the ultimate coastal road trip and uncovers the country's regional seafood specialties and the local joints at which they are served, all while taking viewers on the awesome journey from sea to table. Premiering Tuesday, June 7th at 10:30pm ET (7:30pm PT), Ben strives to help viewers understand and appreciate seafood in a new way – from how it's caught, shipped and prepared to the many trials and tribulations that can come along with this demanding and often unpredictable industry.

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In each of the first season's eight episodes, Ben rides into town on his motorcycle and teams up with seasoned experts to secure the catch of the day, and then follows that catch straight to the best seaside kitchens. Ben spotlights catfish and crawfish in Bayou Country; spiny lobster and stone crab in Miami and the Everglades; gumbo and oysters in New Orleans; sheepshead fish and blue crab in Charleston, S.C.; sturgeon and ling cod in Oregon; rockfish and crabs in Santa Barbara; sardines and sea urchin in San Diego; and clams and oysters in San Francisco. Crab shacks, lobster pounds, and chowder houses – to Ben, they're more than just places to get a hot meal. They're hangouts for eccentrics, where locals swap stories and fishermen share tales from the sea. Hook, Line and Dinner is produced by Red Line Films.

Visit www.cookingchanneltv.com/hooklineanddinner for more information.

Summer Seafood Tips from Ben

1. Seafood should not actually smell fishy. It should smell fresh, almost like a fresh-cut cucumber.
2. Don't be afraid to touch the fish. If you press into the whole fish, it should bounce back; you shouldn't see a depression where you put your finger.
3. The fish should have a glisten and sheen to its skin, and the eyes should be glassy so you can see through into the pupil.

Surrounded and inspired by family who loved cooking and especially seafood while spending his childhood in Massachusetts, Vermont and Cape Cod, Ben's passion for seafood began at an early age – whether demanding to eat shrimp for a year straight at age four or spending quality time with his grandfather and father learning the intricacies of the fishing world. In 2000, Ben earned a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts with a concentration in sculpture from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He traveled to Europe, the Caribbean and South America where he continued his art studies, learned about local cultures, and developed his culinary skills in many cuisines. After moving to New York, Ben took on many jobs in the food industry to pay the bills while pursuing his career as an artist. In 2001, he decided to change course and follow his seafood passion. He opened the Brooklyn restaurant Hurricane Hopeful and simultaneously launched his website, www.BrooklynChowderSurfer.com, which features an online cooking series and a chronicle of his quirky seaside culinary adventures. Ben also studied Restaurant Management at The French Culinary Institute, started the Brooklyn Fishing Derby in 2009, and hosted an internet radio show called "Catch It, Cook It, Eat It." He currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he fishes for striped bass along the East River, plays his ukulele, surfs up to 4 days a week, and keeps up with his sculpting and drawing when possible. When not in New York or on the road, Ben spends time in Londonderry, Vt., working on his family farm, fresh water fishing, and riding his old motorcycle featured in the show.

SOURCE Cooking Channel