Laura Sommers - Traditional Maryland Recipes

Copyright 2018. Laura Sommers. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in anyform or by any electronic or mechanical means without writtenpermission of the author. All text, illustrations and design arethe exclusive property of Laura Sommers Table ofContents Maryland recipes from a true Marylander! I have lived in Maryland almost my wholelife. I went to high school in Baltimore County and spent mysummers in Ocean City.

I have also taken classes on the cuisine inMaryland. If there is one thing that I know is the food eaten byMarylanders. First of all, most of us know that Maryland is forcrabs! It is the state slogan. But the Maryland cuisine is specificto the Chesapeake Blue Crab which is indigenous to the ChesapeakeBay. This is a large salt water bay that bifurcates Maryland andseparates the coast from the mainland. The Blue Crab is sweeter,and in my opinion, tastier than any other crab out there.

And Ivetried them all. Not only is Maryland known for crabs but itis also known for other types of seafood. Maryland even has its ownunofficial spice called Old Bay. This spice is made by theMcCormick Corporation which is headquartered in Baltimore. If youare visiting Baltimore City at the Inner Harbor or in BaltimoreCounty near Hunt Valley, you will be able to smell the spices inthe air from the McCormick corporation. You can often smell them onthe highway driving down Interstate 83.

They make other spices, butno other seasoning is as indicative to Maryland as Old Bay. Itcomes in a square yellow can with pictures of crabs, shrimp andother seafood on the front. This recipe book is not all seafood buteverything has been made with the spirit of Maryland cuisine inmind. There are many famous places in Maryland and most embody thespirit of being a coastal state and near the Atlantic Ocean andChesapeake Bay. The U.S. Naval Academy is located in the MarylandState Capitol of Annapolis.

Vacationers head to Ocean City Marylandto soak up some rays during the Summer. Tourists flock to the InnerHarbor and visit the National Aquarium. Young party goers visitFells Point to have a cocktail and eat at a waterfrontrestaurant. I put this recipe book together as a nativeMarylander who knows the cuisine and I looked for the recipes thatbest embodied the spirit of my home state. I hope that youenjoy! Note: The Chesapeake blue crab has two typesof meat. Most Maryland recipes will specify lump crab meat orbackfin crab meat.

This is the white sweet crab meat that comesfrom the body of the crab. The other meat is claw meat and comesfrom the claws or legs of the crab. You can use any meat from thecrab that you want but true Marylanders will demand that you onlyuse backfin crabmeat. In other words, if you go to a restaurant,especially one outside of Maryland, and they list Maryland StyleCrab cake it may be made with blue crab, but if it is full of clawmeat, they will turn up their noses.

1 lb. mayonnaise 1 tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tbsp.

Dijon mustard 2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning 1 tbsp. parsley 1 egg Tartar sauce or cocktail sauce (optional)

1. Beat the egg in a bowl. 2. 3. 3.

Add bread pieces to the egg. 4. Mix in the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, OldBay and parsley, and beat well. 5. Place the crabmeat in a bowl and pour theegg mixture over the top. 6.

Gently mix the ingredients together andmold into patties. 7. Place the cakes in the refrigerator for atleast 45 minutes before cooking. 8. Cook either by broil or saut methodsbelow. 9.

To broil, preheat your oven to broil. 10. Broil about 4-5 minutes on each side. 11. To saut, heat a small amount of butteror olive oil in a skillet and cook, turning several times, untilgolden brown, about 8 minutes. 12.

Serve and enjoy with tartar or cocktailsauce.

1 Maryland blue crab soft shell crab 1 cup breadcrumbs or flour for breading 1 Egg Salt and pepper 1 tomato slice 1 leaf of lettuce Cocktail or horseradish sauce (optional) 1 Kaiser roll 1. Clean the soft shell crab. 2. Remove the gills, apron and face. 3.

Beat egg in a bowl until it is evenlymixed. 4. Dip the crab in the egg until it is evenlycoated. 5. Dip the crab in the breading until it iscovered. 6.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. 7. Heat oil in pan to fry. 8. Place breaded crab in the hot oil andallow 3-4 minutes to cook, until golden brown. 9.

Remove crab from fryer using tongs and patdry with a paper towel to remove excess oil. 10. Toast roll if desired. 11. Place the crab, lettuce and tomato sliceon a bun. 12.

Add tartar or cocktail sauce. 13. Serve and enjoy!

12 freshly shucked oysters 2 cups flour 1/2 cup corn starch 2 tbsps. Old Bay seasoning, plus more tosprinkle on top 1 lemon 1. Mix the flour, Old Bay and the corn starchtogether. 2.

Dip the oysters in the flour mixtures tocoat. 3. Heat the oil in a skillet to fry theoysters. 4. Fry the oysters until just lightly brownedand crisp. 5.

Season the oysters with salt, pepper andmore Old Bay. 6. Squeeze lemon on to the oysters ifdesired. 7. Serve on a Kaiser roll with mayonnaise,tomato and lettuce to make a Po Boy sandwich or serve withcrackers. 8.

Enjoy! Inner Harbor Seafood Stew

1 lb. Maryland blue crab backfin lumpcrabmeat 2 tbsps. butter 1 tbsp. olive oil 2 onions, chopped 1/2 lb. carrots, sliced thickly 4 stalks celery, chopped 1/2 gallon fish stock 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 potatoes, peeled & chopped 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen 1 cup green beans 4 tomatoes, peeled & chopped 2 tbsps. ground black pepper 1 lb. shrimp, peeled 1 lb. crab meat 1/2 lb. scallops 1. scallops 1.

In large stock pot, melt butter, add oil,and saut onion until translucent. 2. Add carrots, celery and stir for about 5minutes. 3. Add garlic, stir briefly and add fishstock. 4.

Add potatoes, peas, corn, green beans andtomatoes. 5. Add water if necessary to bring liquid totop level of food. 6. Bring to simmer and add slicedsausage. 7.

Add Old Bay and black pepper. 8. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. 9. Stir in seafood. 10.

Cook for about 10 more minutes. 11. Serve and enjoy!

FellsPoint is an area located across from the Inner Harbor in BaltimoreCity that has a number of pubs, shops and restaurants in a shortamount of space. It has cobblestone streets and there is a watertaxi service to shuttle party goers back and forth between theInner Harbor and Fells Point for a fee. The building that was thepolice station for the television show: Homicide, Life on theStreet is located here. 1 lb.

Maryland blue crab backfin lumpcrabmeat 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese softened 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tsps. Old Bay seasoning 1/2 tsp. yellow mustard 1/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded Crackers or sliced French bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2.

Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, Old Bay andground mustard in a bowl until well blended. 3. Add crab meat and mix again. 4. Spread in a 9 pie plate. 5.

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese andadditional Old Bay seasoning. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 6. Serve with crackers or sliced Frenchbread.