The Saltwater Table: Recipes from the Coastal South
The Saltwater Table: Recipes from the Coastal South book cover

The Saltwater Table: Recipes from the Coastal South

Hardcover – October 22, 2019

Price
$30.99
Format
Hardcover
Pages
288
Publisher
Harry N. Abrams
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1419738159
Dimensions
8.4 x 1.3 x 11.35 inches
Weight
2.7 pounds

Description

"The book shines when it digs deep into the region’s briny history and puts a spin on it, like with this paella featuring shrimp, flaky fish, littleneck clams, and Carolina Gold rice."― Grub Street "Otawka's cooking is approachable and meant to be shared—this is a book you could dive into right away, relying mostly on pantry staples. It's also one of the most beautiful books to be released this year—illustrations and hand lettering by Jessie Pickren Warner of Hew Co. and photos by Emily Dorio make The Saltwater Table (which was shot, designed, edited, and produced by an all female team) a welcome addition to any coffee table."― Epicurious "In The Saltwater Table , Otawka presents her own colorful and bright interpretation of the coastal food culture she has studied and is inspired by...Otawka kindly educates the uninitiated that this region, in its geographical and cultural complexity, has ever more to offer, and she reminds those in the know that these traditions are to be celebrated, if not outright cherished. This is a book the South deserves."― Eater “Whitney Otawka shows us that the South has so much more to discover and so much more to taste. The Saltwater Table reveals the rewards of reverently exploring a place, its people, and its products.”― Sean Brock, James Beard Award-winning chef and author of Heritage “In this transcendent new book, a love letter to the cuisine and the culture of the South Atlantic Coast, you can smell the brine of the water and feel the sand between your toes as you drift through the delectable recipes and stories.”― Edward Lee, chef and author of Smoke and Pickles and Buttermilk Graffiti “It has been my privilege to enjoy Whitney Otawka’s food several times on Cumberland Island. Her knowledge, plus her creativity and passion, makes her an excellent cook, and readers of this beautiful book can learn a lot from her.”― Jacques Pépin, James Beard Award–winning chef and author Whitney Otawka is the chef of Greyfield Inn, on Cumberland Island, Georgia. She previously worked as a sous chef at Hugh Acheson’s 5&10 and has held stages at Per Se, Le Bernadin, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Otawka appeared on season nine of Top Chef .

Features & Highlights

  • “Readers of this beautiful book can learn a lot from her.” ―Jacques Pépin
  • “The book shines when it digs deep into the region’s briny history.” ―
  • Grub Street
  • “Otawka’s cooking is approachable and meant to be shared.” ―
  • Epicurious
  • This culinary travel fantasy, celebrating the food of the Southeastern coast, is by Whitney Otawka, the award-winning chef of Greyfield, a celebrated Carnegie-built inn located on Cumberland Island, Georgia—a magical and remote barrier island that has been left undeveloped as a National Seashore. Cumberland Island and the exceptional local ingredients to be found there are Otawka’s muse, inspiring her to celebrate the beloved food found along the Southeast coast. Offering a modern perspective on southern flavors with a strong emphasis on vegetables and fresh ingredients, the book contains 125 approachable and flavorful recipes, such as:
  • Summer Tomatoes Topped with Crispy Okra
  • Summer Tomatoes Topped with Crispy Okra
  • Flakey Buttermilk Biscuits with Ginger-Spiked Jam
  • Flakey Buttermilk Biscuits with Ginger-Spiked Jam
  • Sweet Atlantic Shrimp Poached with Beer, Citrus, and Bay Leaves
  • Sweet Atlantic Shrimp Poached with Beer, Citrus, and Bay Leaves
  • Shrimp Escabeche with Sungold Tomatoes
  • Shrimp Escabeche with Sungold Tomatoes
  • Cumberland Paella
  • Cumberland Paella
  • Spaghetti Squash with Pecorino Romano Cream and Walnuts
  • Spaghetti Squash with Pecorino Romano Cream and Walnuts
  • Banana Leaf-Wrapped Snapper
  • Banana Leaf-Wrapped Snapper
  • And much more!
  • And much more!
  • This beautifully photographed book also shows us how to enjoy iconic southern meals, everything from an oyster roast to a fish fry to a Low Country boil. Otawka writes in her introduction, “Layer upon layer, century upon century, the history and the people that have called Cumberland home have sculpted a unique place. It is this wild isolated nature that over the centuries added to it lore.”
  • The Saltwater Table
  • transports readers to the mysterious, lush Cumberland Island, allowing us to recreate a taste of this vibrant world in our own kitchens.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(151)
★★★★
25%
(63)
★★★
15%
(38)
★★
7%
(18)
-7%
(-18)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Saltwater Table, a chef's love story.

I buy a lot of cookbooks. I use a lot of cookbooks. Lately, I've been disappointed by the latest releases. They're not bad, just not interesting, many looking the same, offering the same ideas over and over. Saltwater Table by Chef Whitney Otawka is a game-changer. It's more than a cookbook. It's a memoir and a history of beautiful Cumberland Island. It's an adventure and travel book that challenges you to build a fire, go on a picnic, try new foods, and add new spices. It is an accessible collection of recipes and an exquisitely photographed book. Most of all it is a love story. Chef Otawka's love for food, flavor, the island, and the natural abundance of the land. Buy this for someone who loves travel, food, and adventure.
14 people found this helpful
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Delicious and Absolutely Beautiful!

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this cookbook, and I’m so excited to finally have my copy. What a beautiful book! It celebrates cooking with the seasons of the coastal south, and captures the beauty and magic of Cumberland Island through gorgeous photography of the landscape and the foodie Chef Otawka. The cookbook is arranged seasonally (my favorite way to arrange a cookbook) so it’s easy to open it up and hone in on what you want to cook based on what ingredients are at their peak right now.
9 people found this helpful
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A must if you love beautiful cookbooks that tell a story

I can't say enough good things about this cookbook. I'm afraid it's way under the radar in today's fad diet, easy-peasy world. It is more of an aspirational book, but includes so many doable recipes that anyone can relate to - Crispy Chicken Thighs with Smoked Eggplant is amazing, something any home cook can make. I love how the author tells a story about a specific place,"the coastal south" wrapping up the romance of a remote semi-tropical locale with each season and the food that goes with it. It's also just gorgeous to browse through for the food porn, whimsical illustrations and overall design.
4 people found this helpful
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The Saltwater Table

This is a cookbook that celebrates the cooking and cuisine of the coastal South, Georgia in particular. I will note that growing up at the Jersey shore the flow of the “seasons” and the seafood recipes were familiar in a lot of ways. One of the things I miss most since moving to Montana is the ability to get right off the boat seafood. If you have never had it, you don’t know what you are missing. And if you can ever get shrimp with their heads still on – take them and run.

The Saltwater Table is a book that respects fresh ingredients, in their time. Take advantage of what is fresh and seasonal rather than try to make a hothouse tomato taste like summer – ya know? I chose to make what would be considered a winter recipe but I had pork out for dinner and so pork I made. And I am so glad I did – this was the best fried pork I have had in a very long time. The spice blend in the dredge and the bay laurel gravy is a magical combination. I found the recipes to be well written and easy to follow. Of the ones that I read I didn’t note any wild and crazy ingredients.

Reading the book and looking through the recipes brought back a lot of memories for me of the time we spent in our fifthwheel. Part of our travels involved spending Christmas in Georgia with friends after being in New Jersey for the Fall. We would meander so each year we would spend time going a different way so as to see different places. Coastal Georgia and her barrier islands are very similar to the barrier island I grew up on in New Jersey.

I believe this is going to be one of those cookbooks that I turn to on a regular basis. There are many wonderful dishes awaiting me; seafood, vegetable and dessert. This cookbook would make an excellent gift for anyone with fond memories of living on the mid to southern East coast or anyone who loves good Southern cooking.

I was sent a free copy for my honest review
3 people found this helpful
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Evaluated and approachable recipes

One of my favorite cookbooks (yes, I have many)! The recipes take me back to my days growing up in GA. The dishes are fun to make and very delicious (you have to try the Savannah Fish, Shrimp, and Grits)!
2 people found this helpful
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Must have for any Cook

This books does low country cooking very well. This is a great book to cook some good southern food. Seafood is part of the life of the southerner and this book shows you how to do it like a pro.
1 people found this helpful
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The hardcover is well worth it!

I almost never buy “real” books anymore. This booked looked just too engaging for a download and I’m so glad I bought the hardcover. I just received it today, but thoroughly enjoyed the forward and skimming through the book. My husband looked through it too, and we have already selected several recipes to start with. We live on the SE coast, and this is such a wonderful take on seafood, the south, and new adventures.
1 people found this helpful
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Unique

Poor print job and my book wasn’t cut well and arrived with ripped pages. Not a fan of this publishing company. Anyway, the recipes are definitely unique to its location featuring some familiar south favorites like a low country boil and oyster roast. Other recipes seems specific to the author or her own twist on traditional recipes. Not a bad thing!
1 people found this helpful
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Wonderful

Love this cookbook - great recipes, beautiful pictures - really happy with my purchase
1 people found this helpful
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So reliable and authentic

I love this cookbook. It doesn't promote a specific type of cuisine, which is probably what makes it very authentic, but explains and introduces food that Naomi likes to make and likes to eat. So the recipes are super tasty and not too hard. I also really enjoyed Naomi's description of Cumberland Island and the photos were gorgeous. I have used almost all of the recipes in the book, and they are very successful.

Some cookbooks just come off cold and flat. This one doesn't. There's a lot of soul to it, and I hope other people will enjoy it too!