October 1, 2019

All-Purpose (AP) Seafood Dredge Recipe: Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook Review

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Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook is written by Ricky Moore and contains the history of and great recipes from his Saltbox Seafood Joint restaurants in North Carolina.


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Saltbox Seafood Joint

Ricky Moore grew up in eastern North Carolina, joining the military out of high school and going straight into military cook school. His story of growing up in kitchens as a young cook and sharing his experiences about some of his travels was inspiring – touring kitchens as a young person of color when there weren’t many African American chefs to look up to back then, but how similar the roots were of many different cuisines.

After some time and additional stages in European restaurants, I realized that the rustic roots of these culinary mainstays weren’t that different from the food of my childhood. I began to see that southern food is not a lesser cuisine, and I shed many of the insecurities I had held about my own food culture.

The author knows food – military cook, CIA graduate, working abroad learning different food cultures – and while a restaurant seems like the next progression for any chef, Moore’s idea for a seafood place came from his wife’s search for a good fried fish sandwich. He did research, and found that particular menu item was lacking in his neighborhood. Rather than go big, he “wanted a little shop, to do one thing really well, and to control every aspect of it.” That idea has spawned two successful locations in Durham, NC, and you’ll find a simple menu with fresh fish and seafood at both. He even has a catering truck to feed special event customers.

Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook

The Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook shares recipes from his successful restaurants so you can season and cook up fresh fish just right. He’s included a section detailing different fish varieties and goes over the basic fish cuts, and lists what fish to look for in what season ensuring you find fresh fish all year (at least on the east coast NC areas).

Recipes are sectioned by type: Standard Operating Procedure (stocks, seasonings, sauces); Fried and Joy (pan and deep frying); Into The Coals (grilling, smoking, charcoaling); One-Pots (soups, chowders, stews); Perfect Hominy (grits and seafood); and The Spread (all the hot and cold side dishes). His Menus chapter places his recipes with other dishes so you can create a perfect meal at home. Throughout the book, there’s tidbits and stories of recipes or food culture that are interesting to read.

All in all, Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook is a superb read, not just for the classic recipes it contains inside, but the history of the man behind the Saltbox Seafood Joint restaurants.

Enclosed is his recipe for seafood dredge, a tasty and utilitarian coating for all your panfried fish and seafood recipes.

All-Purpose Seafood Dredge

This classic fry coating contains fine yellow corn flour rather than all-purpose flour.
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups fine yellow corn flour
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon celery powder
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry yellow mustard

Instructions
 

  • Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Transfer to a container with a lid. Use as a dredge for pan fried and deep fried fish and seafood.

Notes

Notes: Recipe adapted from Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook by Ricky Moore.

Book Info:

 

Disclosure: This book was an ARC from the publisher, and any opinions are my own. Any affiliate links help to support the site, thank you :).

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Filed Under: Fish and Seafood Cookbooks
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