"The Living Shore: Rediscovering a Lost Word" by Rowan Jacobsen

the living shore oyster book

It is time get the hottest book on the oyster market: The Living Shore: Rediscovering a Lost World by Rowan Jacobsen.

Jacobsen is the James Beard Award-winning author of A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America.

books about oysters
His newest book, The Living Shore explains how the decimation of oysters and other shellfish is a loss for everyone who depends on the health of the seas. Shellfish are the lynchpins of coastal ecosystems, the coral reefs of the temperate world. By filtering water, stabilizing shorelines, and providing complex habitat, they make estuaries the most productive environments on earth. Yet few healthy oyster reefs remain, and the race is on to protect the last ones.
What begins as a quest to find rare oysters becomes an exploration of our ancient connection to that “living shore.” New archaeology from British Columbia to South Africa reveals how the coast has supported our development and well-being, from our modern origins 164,000 years ago to our colonization of North America. There are reasons we feel such a profound connection to the shore. When we became estranged from that world, we also lost touch with a fundamental part of being human.

But all is not lost. The Living Shore profiles the extraordinary efforts underway to reestablish native shellfish populations and reverse the decline of the seas, and shows the promise-as the scientists on the expedition discover-of the return of a world so vital to our physical and spiritual sustenance.
Once you read The Living Shore please post your comments below.

Interested in Meeting the Author?
Jacobsen has several appearances scheduled, click here for a listing. I had the opportunity to meet him at last years B&G Oysters Event and I can tell you he's first class: friendly, approachable, and inspiring.

You can learn more about the author on his website.


Information from this posting was obtained, with permission, from www.rowanjacobsen.com

 
               

Recipe - Baked Stuffed Lobster Tails

A Fine Lobster Recipe:

Cooking with fine lobster
Baked Stuffed Lobster Tails

* Ingredients 4 8-ounce lobster tails
* 6 tbs unsalted butter, softened
* 1/3 cup fresh tarragon leaves, loosely packed
* 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
* 2/3 cup bread crumbs
* 1 large shallot, minced
* 3 tbs pine nuts, toasted
* 3 qts water
* 3 tbs salt
* 1 onion, cut into eighths
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 large potatoes, halved, crosswise
* salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions

Blend together the butter, tarragon, lemon juice, bread crumbs, shallots and pine nuts in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. In a large pot, combine the water, salt, onion and bay leaf. Add the lobster tails and cook for 5 minutes. Cut a crosswise slit at each end of the underside of each lobster tail. Cut 2 lengthwise slits down the underside from one crosswise slit to the other to remove only a rectangular piece of the undersection of each lobster tail. Spread 1/4 of the stuffing down the tail. Arrange the lobsters in a baking dish and use the potato wedges, one up against each side of the tail, to keep the tail from rolling over. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until stuffing is crisp and browned. Discard the potatoes and serve immediately. Serves 4

Oyster Events at Legal Sea Foods around Boston, MA

Get ready, from September 7 through October 17, 2009, Legal Sea Foods is celebrating Oysters around Boston with the following events:

- Bivalves & Bubbles
A VIP cocktail party hosted by President and CEO Roger Berkowitz, Executive Chef Rich Vellante and Master of Wine Sandy Block.
September 9, 2009
6-8pm at Park Square
Tickets: $60 (including tax and gratuity)
Bring the restaurant tasting Clam Chowder to your kitchen table....Shop Legal Sea Foods Today

- Shells & Shooters
Oyster tasting and tutorial: oysters by the bushel as well as a trio of Belvedere shooters.
September 12, 2009
3:30-5pm at Charles Square
Tickets: $50 (including tax and gratuity)
Bring the restaurant home....Shop Legal Sea Foods Today

- Sip, Slurp and Sup Wine Dinner
A five course meal - everything oyster - paired with wines, hosted in the 10,000 bottle Park Square wine celler.
September 24, 2009
6:30pm at Park Square
Tickets: $75 (including tax and gratuity)
Legal Sea Foods. Guaranteed Delivery in time for your New Years Celebration when you order before December 27th

- Bivalve 'Brew'haha
A five course craft beer dinner featuring oysters.
September 30, 2009
6:30pm at Prudential Center
Tickets: $55 (including tax and gratuity)
Legal Sea Foods Gift Certificates...Easy, Flexible, Memorable

- Oyster Tasting and Tutorial
Become a maven of the bi-valve mollusk!
October 3, 2009 3:30-5pm at Copley Place
Tickets $45 (sponsored by Boston Center for Adult Education)
Treat your family to restaurant quality meals in the comfort of your own home. Shop Legal Sea Foods Today

- Shellfish Shindig
On the tip of Boston Fish Pier, a raw oyster bar and a traditional New England Clam Bake.
October 4, 2009
5-7pm at Exchange Conference Center
Tickets: $65 (including tax and gratuity)
Legal Sea Foods delivering the highest quality seafood and gourmet gifts available. Shop Today

- Mollusk Mania & Aw Shucks, Raffle for Pearls at Burlington
Oyster tasting and tutorial: oysters by the bushel as well as one jewel of a door prize - a $1250 DePrico pearl necklace
October 14, 2009
6-7:30pm at Burlington Mall
Tickets: $45 (including tax and gratuity)

Legal Sea Foods