Best Maryland Cookbooks

It's no secret Marylanders love their food, and these featured cookbooks (both old and new) will help you create your favorite Maryland recipes right in your own home. Have a favorite Maryland cookbook not listed here? Let us know where to find it in the comments section below. --Stephanie Valera, CBS Local

Dishing Up Maryland: 150 Recipes from the Alleghenies to the Chesapeake Bay

By Lucie Snodgrass
Buy online

Get ready for a delightful gastronomic read. Dishing Up Maryland not only collects 150 mouthwatering recipes—including every kind of crab dish you could ever crave—but it also offers anecdotes and stories about food native to the area, and profiles of local food producers and chefs. If there's one cookbook that perfectly illustrates the delicious diversity of Maryland cooking, this is it. For winter, we recommend trying out the recipes for Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Pecan Topping, the Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham and the delectable Smith Island Cake. Delish.

Chesapeake Bay Crabs

By Judy Colbert
Buy online

Crabs, crabs and more crabs. If you're like us, we can't get enough of it. This new book is chock-full of crab recipes, featuring 18 crab cake variations and recipes for soups, sandwiches, and even breakfast and dessert. Not an expert in crab? No worries—award-winning author/ photographer Judy Colbert offers useful tips and tricks to steaming and cooking crabs perfectly, and the book even features a handy glossary guide you can take to the market. Looking for scrumptious dishes for your next dinner party? Try the recipes for Crab Spring Rolls or Deviled Crab-Filled Crepes.

A Taste of Maryland: A Guide to Historic Eateries and Their Recipes

By Debbie Nunley and Karen Jane Elliott
Buy online

Travel buffs and foodies alike will find much to enjoy in this book, part of Debbie Nunley and Karen Jane Elliott's popular Taste of History series. Travel through the state's historic homes, hotels and retreats and experience the food and dishes that helped put these spots on the map. If you're a pizza lover, try the Carriage House Inn's Crab and Shrimp White Pizza.  For a hearty meal, try Old Angler Inn's (a Potomac tradition since 1860!) Pot Pie of Wild Mushrooms, or enjoy the seafood feast that is the Milton Inn's Seafood Imperial (with scallops, mussels, crabmeat and lobstermeat).

Chesapeake Bay Cooking

By John Shields
Buy online

This book, practically a classic, may be a little bit hard to find, but if you do get your hands on a copy, you'll treasure it for a long time. A companion piece to the PBS television series, Cheseapeake Bay Cooking gives readers an immersive look into the C-Bay's rich cultural and culinary heritage. Warning: If you grew up in the Bay, browsing through this book may make you homesick. From Senator Barb's Spicy Crab Cakes (which uses soft, crustless bread to hold the cakes together instead of cracker or bread crumbs and sharp Dijon mustard for a kick) to Baked Squash and Tomatoes, these recipes will sure to be staples in your kitchen.

Best of the Best from the Mid-Atlantic Cookbook: Selected Recipes from the Favorite Cookbooks of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Washington, DC.

Edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Mosely
Buy online

Though not dedicated entirely to cuisine from Maryland, the sheer number and variety of the recipes collected in this book make it a must-own. Seventy-nine of the best regional cookbooks contributed 400 of their most loved recipes. You'll find crowd-pleasing recipes from the Jersey shore to the nation's capital, including Maryland Pork Chops, Cape May French Toast and Creamy Atlantic Coast Fish Chowder. Looking for dessert recipes? You'll love the fruity Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding and Bal'More Rhubarb Pie.