I doubt there's any Cajun home that doesn't have an array of Cajun cookbooks. I have dozens and am drawn to those compiled by local organizations which contain gems from local home cooks. But no Louisiana kitchen is complete without a set of the Louisiana Seafood Bibles.
More than a cookbook, the 6-volume seafood bibles are a historical account of our area's 5 major seafood industries: shrimp, crab, oysters, crawfish and fish. In case you think I miscounted, according to author Jerald Horst, the reason for six books in the series is that even though he and his wife and co-author, Glenda, had planned five, it took two volumes to handle our abundant Louisiana fish options.
The seafood bibles are filled with colorful photos of delicious recipes prepared by local Louisianans and are beautiful enough to be used as coffee table books. But don't judge a book by its cover. They're also a wealth of information on the seafood contained within its pages and everything you need to know about the purchase, selection, use and care of each particular seafood. The Horsts' latest and last edition, Fish - Volume 2, even contains a Guide to Louisiana's Edible Fishes.
And last, but not least, each seafood bible is filled with recipes from local cooks showing off their best recipes. The authors go to the homes of the contributors where Glenda takes careful notes as the dish is prepared while Jerald takes photos and interviews the cook.
You can say the authors of the Seafood Bibles were born into it. Glenda is a commercial fisherman's daughter and Jerald was an LSU professor assigned to work within the seafood industry to make it more modern and efficient. In his 30-year career, Jerald wrote a monthly newsletter, Lagniappe, that was mailed to commercial fishing
families' homes. A recipe was always included at the end of the newsletter - at first recipes from their own collection. It wasn't long before they were swamped by the fishing families sending in their best recipes. After doing this month after month for 30 years, the Horsts had collected an awesome recipe collection!
If you would like an autographed and personalized copy of any of the Seafood Bibles, you can contact the Horsts directly by phone at 985-795-9224 (credit card orders only). You can also call to find the nearest retailer that carries the books. For online orders, you can click here.
Jerald and Glenda will be at the following events for book signings:
Sept. 27-29, Alligator Festival (Luling)
Oct. 4-6, Gretna Fest, (Gretna)
Oct. 12-13, Wooden Boat Festival (Mandeville)
Oct. 17-19, Rice Festival, (Crowley)
Oct. 25-27, Oak Alley Arts and Crafts Fair, (Vacherie)
Nov. 1-3, Giant Omelette Celebration, (Abbeville)
Nov. 9-10, Destrehan Plantation Fall Fest (Destrehan)
Nov. 22-23, Broadmoor Arts and Crafts Fair (Baton Rouge)
Nov. 30, Fleur de Lis Arts and Crafts Fair, (Natchitoches)
Dec. 6-8, Steinhauer Christmas Extravaganza (Covington)