Dixie Bar Trout, JLM Cookbooks

Ranked thirteenth largest in the world, the Junior League of Mobile (JLM) is a diverse group of approximately 1,800 volunteering women. Started in 1925 as the Mobile Charity League, the primary support of its members and six fundraisers this year will donate more than $1.3 million in volunteer time and financial support to the Mobile and Baldwin area. The JLM actively collaborates with more than 16 additional not-for-profit organizations offering programming and services unique to the community. JLM current focus, involving more than 35 projects community-wide, is with children and education reaching over 25,000 women, men and children.

There are currently four cookbooks circulating around the area and world for that matter, published by JLM. Recipe Jubilee! , introduced in 1964 set the standard for a one-place-for-all book in the finest recipes Mobile offers and sales surpass 160,000 copies. The cookbook won national recognition from Bon Appetite and the New York Times and was selected for the Walter S. McIlhenny Hall of Fame Award. In 1981, One of a Kind hit the stands and households with more delectable recipes from our area. It is one of the first cookbooks to incorporate meal planning. In 1993, it was awarded membership in the Southern Living Hall of Fame. Both books are now retired from publication. Bay Tables, the third published cookbook arrived in 1998 and sales are still going strong featuring recipe favorites for young and old, not to mention the addition of beautiful local photos. The book features innovative and intriguing preparations for local seafood and game specialties along with a host of other outstanding offerings.

This year brings a new publication, a mini-book entitled Best of the Bay featuring more than 50 of the best classics including trout amandine, gumbo, West Indies salad to name three. It features updates to the recipes such as substituting orzo for the original rice in dishes. During hurricane Katrina, many households literately lost the earlier JLM cookbooks to wind and rain. Replacements of the first two, now out of print, are only available in used bookstores or as hand-me-downs. Best of the Bay is available for $9.95 from JLM and is in limited print.


This is one of the local recipes featured in Bay Tables. Dixie Bar is just off the coast of Fort Morgan, south of Mobile, and is a great place to catch fish hanging out on the edge of the sand bar while waiting to snag a bite during the shifting currents.

Dixie Bar Trout
8 to 12 servings

8 to 12 trout fillets
milk
salt
2/3 cup flour
1 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
2/3 cup dry white wine

Place the fillets in a shallow dish. Add enough milk to cover and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove the fillets and pat dry. Sprinkle generously with salt. Dredge in the flour shaking off excess. Place 1/2 cup butter and Tasbaso in a glass baking dish and place in the middle oven rack under a broiler. Broil on low until the butter begins to bubble. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the green onions and peppers in the butter. Arrange the fillets over the vegetables. Dot with remaining butter. Return to the broiler oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the fillets flake easily and are golden brown. Baste two times during cooking. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Pour pan drippings into a saucepan and add the wine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes stirring constantly. Spoon the sauce over the fillets and serve immediately.