Book Description

Discover the cuisine and the character of the Chesapeake Bay with the twenty-fifth-anniversary edition of this collection of over 200 regional, seasonal recipes. Twenty-five years ago, Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields introduced the world to the regional cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic. Nominated for a James Beard Award, the book was praised for its inspiring heritage recipes and its then-revolutionary emphasis on cooking with local and seasonal ingredients. Part history lesson, part travelogue, the book captured the unique character of the Chesapeake region and its people. In this anniversary edition, John Shields combines popular classic dishes with a host of unpublished recipes from his personal archives. Readers will learn how to prepare over 200 recipes from the Mid-Atlantic region, including panfried rockfish, roast mallard, beaten biscuits, oyster fritters, and Lady Baltimore cake. Best of all, they’ll learn everything they need to know about crabs?the undisputed star of Chesapeake cuisine?featured here in mouthwatering recipes for seven different kinds of crab cakes. Extensively updated, this edition includes a new chapter on Chesapeake libations, which features Shields’s closely held recipe for his notorious Dirty Gertie, an authentic Chesapeake-style Bloody Mary. “Long before it was trendy to serve sustainable, local, and organic food, Maryland native Shields was doing it at Gertrude’s, a modest modern restaurant tucked inside the Baltimore Museum of Art. This fall he reissued his prescient chronicle of the waterman’s way of life and traditional cooking on the mid-Atlantic coast. It includes how to “pick” steamed crabs (seasoned with Old Bay, natch), prepare country sides like Green Beans With Country Ham and Sautéed Peanuts, and make the quirky relish known as chow-chow.” —April Fulton, National Geographic’sfood blog, The Plate “John knows and loves the Chesapeake as only a native can. One of the best regional American cookbooks you’ll ever find.” —Gourmet “For those who are not familiar with the “good old down home” taste of cooking by a native of the Chesapeake Bay region, John Shields brings you an experience you'll never forget. For those of us who are fortunate enough to be a part of this region, Mr. Shields reminds us of the experience we’ll always remember.” —The Honorable William Donald Schaefer, former governor of Maryland