a complete seafood resource book for people 

 who want to know more than just how to bake 

 or fry fish. 



More than 50 detailed illustrations by 

 Morehead City artist Connie Mason add to the 

 book's down-home flavor, as well as scenic 

 photos by Beaufort photographer Scott D. Taylor. 



Joyce Taylor, herself, grew up in the Blue 

 Ridge Mountains, but moved to Carteret County 

 to teach in 1954 and now claims the coast as 

 home. She taught various grades before taking a 

 job at the Seafood Lab in 1974, all the while 

 slipping out in her boat and casting a line when 

 she could. 



In tke Lab 



For each cooking session, Taylor selects 

 recipes ahead of time, gathers ingredients and 

 buys the fish. Today, it's 12 pounds — bought 

 fresh the day before from a local fish market. 



Recipes are timed so the dishes come out 

 of the oven at different times. Taylor leaves 

 notes on most of the recipes, like "Check the 

 amounts of oil, butter." Or, "Check the amount 

 of butter needed for sauteing." 



"We've got to measure everything," says 

 Dolena Bell of Beaufort. "She likes us to be 

 absolutely correct in our measuring." 



As the pairs cook away, Taylor checks in, 



Sauteed with Mushrooms. Taylor gives a short 

 lesson on clarifying butter. 



Fifteen minutes later, Taylor and most of the 

 Nutrition Leaders begin tasting Deep-fried Shrimp. 



By 1 1 : 15, the third dish is up — piping hot 

 Mahi Mahi Sauteed in Butter. The room falls silent 

 as the group, now burgeoning with coworkers 

 from down the hall, savors the dish. 



"Well it's cooked to perfection. It's as moist 

 as it can be," Taylor comments. "We should have 

 used skinless fillets." 



Within minutes, Valaree Stanley and Vera 

 Gaskins are back at work, dredging and draining 

 firm white triggerfish fillets. 



LEFT: Mariner's Menu offers not only clam recipes, hut also tips for transporting and opening she llfish. 

 RIGHT: Fresh herhs are included in many of the recipes tested by the Nutrition Leaders. 



"For 30 years, Joyce has spread the word on 

 fresh North Carolina seafood — the distinct 

 flavors, the nutritional value," says Ronald G. 

 Hodson, director of North Carolina Sea Grant. 

 "With her dedicated group of Nutrition Leaders, 

 she offers traditional and nontraditional fare that 

 consumers trust they can make and enjoy at 

 home." 



Taylor explains that seafood is not to be 

 feared. "People have not been comfortable 

 cooking seafood," she says. But after she 

 demonstrates or shares a recipe from Mariner's 

 Menu, people say, "It looks so easy, I think I can 

 do it." 



offering suggestions, tasting, urging them to 

 write down any important information. At one 

 point, she asks everybody to stop and taste. 



Part science class, part cooking show, the 

 women work with a relaxed precision that 

 comes only from time together in the kitchen. 



For decades, Taylor urged seafood lovers 

 to veer away from frying. "I preached it for 

 years," she says, mainly for nutritional reasons. 

 "But a book like this would be incomplete if it 

 told you how to do everything but fry." 



By 10:45, Betty Motes and Bell start to fry 

 their flounder for Crispy Flounder Fillets. Judy 

 Blessing drops four fillets in a pan of sizzling 

 butter at the same time for her Snapper Fillets 



Next comes Grouper Fillet in Beer Batter. 

 Again a hush fills the room, and the Nutrition 

 Leaders fill out their rating sheets, ranking recipes 

 from 1 to 5, which is "excellent." Only recipes 

 with 4.5 or higher will make it into Mariner's 

 Menu. 



Just before noon, Stanley presents a platter of 

 steaming hot, golden-fried triggerfish like a proud 

 chef offering a succulent Thanksgiving turkey. 

 Tasters in the now-crowded room line up with 

 paper plates and plastic forks waiting for a bite 

 with a dollop of homemade tartar sauce. 



No one's disappointed. 



Within minutes, countertops shine, the spices 

 line the shelves again, the dishes are washed and 



8 AUTUMN 2003 



