The American Beach Cookbook

African-American resort community American Beach, located on Amelie Island just north of Jacksonville, Fla., was founded in 1935 during the height of segregation, and quickly became ""a Mecca described as a 'Negro Ocean Playground.'"" Longtime resident and local historian Phelts gives readers a warm and colorful overview of the region in this compilation of nearly 300 down-home dishes. Opening her recipe box and those of her friends, Phelts shares classics like homemade fudge and fried chicken, as well as southern staples like crab boils, she-crab soup and collard greens, along with personal stories and local anecdotes. As one might expect, seafood figures prominently. Phelts offers a bevy of recipes for shrimp-dips, pickles, sandwiches and even potato salad-as well as regional favorites like conch chowder and the Fishwich, a fish cake of sorts composed of whitefish, salmon and grouper. Rounded out with a solid helping of sides and desserts (Bourbon Pecan Cake and Key Lime Pie among them), Phelts' culinary scrapbook is a delightful slice of Americana.