Seafood treats from local notables,

Besides memories and a history of Sarasota, readers were interested in recipes mentioned in recent weeks' columns about a cookbook published in 1962 by the Sarasota Junior Welfare League.

For Phyllis Prager, here is one recipe:

Southern baked oysters

Ingredients: 1 quart oysters, drained; 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley; 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions; salt and pepper; Tabasco to taste, 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine; 1 cup fine cracker crumbs; paprika to taste; 3/8 cup half-and-half (milk and cream)

Instructions: Place a layer of oysters in the bottom of a greased shallow 1 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the parsley, shallots, seasonings, lemon juice, butter and crumbs.

Repeat layers. Sprinkle with paprika. Just before baking, pour milk into evenly spaced holes, being careful not to moisten crumb topping all over. Bake at 375 F for about 30 minutes or until firm. Serves 6 or 7.

-- Joseph Steinmetz,

photographer, in "Let's Cook With Sarasota Celebrities"

And for Julie Kavanagh:

Shrimp a la Sarasota

Ingredients: 6 pounds shrimp (wash well); 1/2 gallon water to which has been added: 1 tablespoon caraway seed, 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon pickling spice, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 bay leaf and top leaves of one bunch of celery.

Instructions: Boil seasoned water for about 20 minutes before adding shrimp.

Shrimp must be put into boiling water and cooked for 30 minutes after it boils again. The larger the shrimp, the better.

One pound of shrimp should be allowed per person if only bread and salad are used to complete the menu.

Sauce ingredients: juice of 2 large lemons; 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 7 or 8 dashes Tabasco; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 pound butter.

Instructions: Melt butter and add seasonings. Heat but do not boil.

Etiquette: Use brown paper and newspaper for tablecloth and plenty of paper napkins. Serve sauce in a small bowl at each plate. Each guest peels and dunks his own shrimp. Stealing a neighbor's peeled shrimp is forbidden.

-- Lois Cardozo (pen name: Lois Duncan) in "Let's Cook With Sarasota Celebrities"

Note to readers

I will no longer have an office (read: cubicle) in the Herald-Tribune building, but I will continue to write this column and possibly some additional articles. Please add my new e-mail address to your list and don't hesitate to use it:

linda.g.brandt@gmail.com.

I will look forward to hearing from you and may even have more time to chat about whatever is on your mind. So please continue to send recipe requests, questions, memories, suggestions and comments. As always, I will answer personally or in a column ... sometimes both.

Folks who don't e-mail can continue to send letters to P.O. Drawer 1719, Sarasota, FL 34230. And please include your phone number.