Chesapeake Bay Cooking: The Companion Cookbook to the Public Television Series

Book by Shields John

Tucked away in the middle of the Mid-Atlantic coast lies the Chesapeake Bay. While most of its eastern seaboard neighbors have become vast urban areas, transforming themselves into cosmopolitan centers, the Chesapeake region has quietly continued its more genteel way of life with a self-sufficient lifestyle and time-honored cooking traditions. Recently the Chesapeake has enjoyed a rediscovery by the rest of the country. Visitors from all parts are making the Bay a destination, perhaps seeking out an environment still relatively unspoiled that has a culture and way of life that recall simpler times, a style of living that is rapidly disappearing elsewhere.

For generations the Chesapeake and its inhabitants have kept a relatively low profile on the food scene, with many of their classic recipes and cooking preparations locked away in family recipe boxes or orally handed down from one generation to the next. For those who have not had the pleasure of sitting down to a hearty Chesapeake meal of blue crab, rockfish, fresh clams and oysters, chicken, waterfowl, country hams, and tangy barbecued meats--complete with all the trimmings--it is my pleasure to introduce this glorious region and its outstanding cuisine.

I grew up on the shores of the Chesapeake, feasting on the bounties of the Bay, enjoying the sweet meat of blue crab, briny Chincoteague oysters, and panfried wild rockfish. I delighted in eating freshly picked Silver Queen corn, vine-ripened red tomatoes, homemade country sausages, and salty, smoked Smithfield hams. I took pleasure in every bite of savory roasted wild goose, crisp fried chicken, and pies filled to nearly overflowing with fresh peaches, apples, blackberries, or strawberries laced with simmered rhubarb. Looking back I now realize that I was blessed to have grown up in a region rich with the best foods that land and water have to offer. As is often the case with locals, I took many of these culinary joys for granted. It's true about the best things in life being right under your nose: I traveled around the world in search of fine cuisine only to learn that some of the finest eating to be found was in my Chesapeake homeland.
Gertie's Crab Cakes

Gertie Cleary hailed from Baltimore's Greenmount Avenue and her cooking was legendary throughout St. Ann's parish and northeast Baltimore. Her crab cakes are my absolute favorite. I must, however, admit my bias. Gertie was my grandmother, and I grew up on these wonderful spiced morsels of crab. This recipe is in the most traditional style of Bay crab cakes. It uses a slightly spiced mixture of mayonnaise and egg, and is lightly bound together with cracker crumbs.

Makes 8 crab cakes, serves 4

1 egg
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Chesapeake seasoning
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1 pound backfin crabmeat, picked over
1/3 cup saltine cracker crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying (optional)
Clarified butter (see Note) and/or olive oil, for sauteing (optional)
Tartar Sauce (recipe follows) and lemon wedges, for accompaniment

Mix the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, Chesapeake seasoning, Worcestershire, and Tabasco together in a blender or mixing bowl until frothy. Place the crabmeat in a bowl and sprinkle on the cracker crumbs. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Gently toss or fold the ingredients together, taking care not to break up the lumps of crabmeat. Form the cakes by hand or with an ice cream scoop into 8 mounds about 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Do not pack the mixture too firmly. The cakes should be as loose as possible, yet still hold their shape. Place the cakes on a tray or platter lined with wax paper, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking.

Pour oil into a heavy skillet to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Heat the oil and fry the crab cakes, a few at a time, until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain. Or broil the cakes: Slip them under a preheated broiler until nicely browned, turning to cook evenly, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Or saute the cakes: Heat a small amount of clarified butter or olive oil, or a combination, in a skillet and saute the cakes, turning several times, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total cooking time.

Serve at once, with Tartar Sauce and lemon wedges on the side.

Tartar Sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped dill pickle
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dill pickle juice

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Steamed Blue Crabs

Every Chesapeake family has its own recipe for steamed crabs--actually "recipe" is a misnomer, as it is more a process rather than an exact recipe. Some insist on washing the crabs before steaming, but others claim that washing takes away the brininess of the crab. Another method is to place the live crabs in an ice water bath before cooking. This icing process numbs the crabs, making them easier to handle, keeps the crabs from losing their claws during the steaming process, and helps the seasonings stick to the shells.

Serves 4 novice pickers or 2 pros

2 cans (12 ounces each) flat beer (see below)
2 cups distilled white vinegar
Ice water (optional)
24 live large male blue crabs(jimmies)
3/4 cup Chesapeake seasoning
6 tablespoons kosher salt

Pour the beer and vinegar into a steamer pot or a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Put a round raised rack that is tall enough to clear the liquid into the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil.

While the pot is coming to a boil, fill a tub with ice water, if desired, and put the crabs in it for 3 minutes or so.

Mix the Chesapeake seasoning and salt together in a small bowl. Place a layer of crabs on the rack in the pot. Sprinkle with a generous coating of the seasoning. Working quickly, continue layering and seasoning the crabs until all the blues are in the pot and you have used up all the seasoning. Put on the lid and steam over medium-high heat until the crabs are bright red, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the crabs with tongs.

Serve hot. Leftover crabs may be refrigerated and either eaten cold the next day or picked for crabmeat to use in your favorite recipe.

Flat Beer

Locals insist on flat beer whenever steaming crabs or shrimp. They feel flat beer does not impart the harsh, almost metallic taste that fresh beer does. To flatten beer, simply pour it into a bowl and leave it at room temperature for an hour or two. A trick the natives use to hasten the flattening process is to sprinkle a little salt into the beer--they swear it flattens the beer quicker than who-struck-John.
Mrs. Kitching's Crab Loaf

Frances Kitching, culinary first lady of Maryland's Smith Island and coauthor of Mrs. Kitching's Smith Island Cookbook, has served this crab loaf appetizer to countless visitors--including governors, senators, and famous celebrities--at her off-the-beaten-path restaurant located on the island. Baked in a casserole dish, the crab loaf is slightly cooled and cut into small squares, which may then be served as a first course or a pass-around with drinks.

Serves 10 to 12 as an appetizer

7 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 teaspoons Chesapeake seasoning
2 pounds backfin or special crabmeat, picked over
8 slices bread, crust removed, cubed
Cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saute pan. Add the onion and  bell pepper and saute over medium heat until slightly soft, about 3 minutes; set aside. Dissolve the cornstarch with the milk in a small saucepan. Whisk over low heat until a smooth paste is formed. Remove from the heat. Mix together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, Chesapeake seasoning, and cornstarch mixture in a bowl. Stir in the sauteed onion and bell pepper. Place the crabmeat in a separate mixing bowl and pour the wet mixture over the top. Add half of the cubed bread and mix gently.

Lightly butter a 10 x 14-inch baking dish. Add the crab mixture and spread evenly without packing down. Place the remaining cubed bread on top of the mixture. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and spoon over the bread cubes. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into 3-inch squares and serve on a platter garnished with cherry tomatoes.
Eastern Shore Crab Soup

Almost every region around the Bay has its own version of crab soup, and the Eastern Shore, known for its quintessential Chesapeake cooking style, is no exception. Okra and rice set this soup a world apart from the heavier, ham-based crab soups prepared elsewhere on the Bay.

Serves 6 to 8

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cups sliced okra (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Fish Stock (recipe follows)
4 large ripe tomatoes, diced, or 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) whole tomatoes, diced, with their juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup white rice
1 pound claw crabmeat, picked over
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion, bell pepper, okra, and garlic. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add the stock, tomatoes, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the rice and continue to cook for 30 minutes. Add the crabmeat and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt...