cover image The P&J Oyster Cookbook

The P&J Oyster Cookbook

Kit Wohl, Sunseri Family. Pelican Publishing Company, $35 (219pp) ISBN 978-1-58980-649-8

New Orleans's long-time love affair with the oyster has produced this cookbook, from one of the city's oldest oyster purveyors, showcasing the best ways to enjoy its star shellfish. With the help of local food writer Wohl, P&J Oyster owners the Sunseris asked local chefs for their favorite oyster dishes, and received a bounty as rich as the mollusk itself. Organized by preparation method (raw, baked, grilled, fried, and incorporated into other dishes), this volume offers almost a hundred methods for preparing oysters, from classics like oyster dressing, gumbo and po-boys to garlic-and-lemon grilled, in rich Oyster Biscuit Pudding , or Stewed in Cream. Purists will enjoy iconic dishes like the original Oysters Rockefeller, invented at New Orleans's Antoines restaurant in the 1800s, Angels on Horseback, and simply, classically-presented raw oysters on the half shell. Generously accompanied by color photos of most finished dishes, as well as sauces and seasonings, this luscious collection will give any oyster fan reason to celebrate.