Mosquito Supper Club

This book is wonderful. As a north Louisiana native who moved south a few years ago, the stories provide so much background for things in this part of the world. The recipes are wonderful. I never knew there were so many ways to make gumbo! The pictures, both of food and of the south Louisiana landscapes, are breathtaking. My only tiny caveat is that the fractions are somewhat hard to read - it was hard to tell 1/2 from 1/3, etc, but definitely worth the peering and squinting.

Absolutely wonderful, this book has it all--great recipes, wonderful photos, and the context to make all of it meaningful. I enjoyed most the stories told by the writer that explain both her cultural background and her well written and easily replicated recipes. Nearly all ingredients are easily available, the methods are clearly explained and use ordinary equipment. The ingredients are, for the most part, easily obtained, and the appendix includes mail order sources. I couldn't come up with a single complaint. I do like to try a couple of recipes before reviewing and have to say that the lagniape rolls were an instant success with my grandsons. I also enjoyed some of the ancillary recipes such as the blackberry compote, having a good supply of blackberries in my freezer. The white bean recipe is nearly identical to my own bean soup with the single difference that I use bacon instead of salt pork--but can verify that the recipe is the best bean soup you will ever eat. The fried catfish was a little different than what I've usually done, but converted me instantly.

I am from Southern Arkansas and I love this cookbook!! Has lots of great cajun recipes that anyone might want to try at anytime of the year!! Thanks for publishing this one! I will be buying a copy!

Chef Melissa M. Martin’s debut cookbook is comforting for those of us that were born in Louisiana, but find ourselves far removed from the food and culture we love so much. The recipes are traditionally Cajun and I found my mouth watering up on several occasions throughout the book. The stories she weaves throughout the book of the Cajun south are informative and entertaining, particularly to those unfamiliar with sugarcane and satsumas or how to pronounce "courtbouillon." She touches on Acadia and the history of Cajuns and Creoles, and her introduction is heartfelt as she covers both that she is proud of on the bayou and the environmental dangers seeping in. It is an absolutely necessary cookbook for any lover of Cajun cuisine and culture.

Mosquito Supper Club by Melissa M. Martin is so much more than a (superb) cookbook - it's a history of Louisiana and "cajun" folk, a beautiful photo essay, and Ms. Martin's autobiography. The author is trying to preserve not only the area's recipes but also the memories of a way of life that is quickly disappearing with the land. I have already fallen in love with Louisiana; I have also now fallen in love with this book. Thank you Netgalley for my review copy and I look forward to purchasing a hard copy for my personal library.

If you love Cajun food then this cookbook is for you. Shrimp from boiled to shrimp stew to shrimp bonlettes, which I love. There are so many stories including The Blessing of the Fleet. Crabs: steam them, crab cakes, stuffed crab and crab claws. The author’s family are oyster farmers. Oyster soup, fried oysters on toast and how to eat oysters on the half shell. Moving oyster beds. Crawfish: how to peel, hand pies and bisque. Tales of crawfish. Gumbo is either Cajun or Creole. Chicken dishes, fried catfish and salt pork and beans. This is a well written book with lots of wonderful recipes that I highly recommend.

Have you ever read a cookbook cover to cover? That was me with Mosquito Supper Club this weekend. Melissa Martin's book is a love letter not just to Cajun cuisine but to our ecosystem. Its culture, ecology, sustainability, and the people that have made a life in the bayou. It is also, very sadly, about how that way of life is disappearing and the need to preserve what we can. Full of beautiful photography, clearly explained instructions (including things like how to peel a crawfish and shuck an oyster for folks that aren't from around here), Mosquito Supper Club is more than just a cookbook but it is a darn good cookbook!