Correspondence

We welcome your opinions and letters – with name and address. We will edit when necessary. Include your name, address and phone number for verification. Mail them to Bay Weekly, 1629 Forest Drive, Annapolis, MD 21403 •E-mail them to [email protected]. or submit your letters on-line by clicking here.

Were You Fooled?

Dear Bay Weekly:

What can I say? I love the MRE Olympic piece [April 1]! I’ve read it through about four times now. It’s still making me laugh. I must warn you, however, you may have created a monster. There is already talk of creating MRE 2020 Olympics bumper stickers. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it shows up on a T-shirt, too!

My next challenge is to get 500 people to join the MRE LinkedIn group. If that goal is reached, I have promised to launch a national publicity campaign to get attention focused on our Tug and the playful rivalry between MRE and Annapolis. (It all helps to promote our city.)

It was a pleasure meeting Mark Burns and getting to have a bit of fun this April Fool’s day. Any possibility you will field a Bay Weekly tug team this year? I’d love to see you guys tug it out with The Capital. You would, of course, be on the Eastport side.

–Wendy Marxen, Minister of Propaganda: The Maritime Republic of Eastport

Editor’s comment: We hope you enjoyed this and all the foolery in our April Fool issue. Of course the whole issue wasn’t nonsense. Were you able to tell truth from fiction?

How to Oven-Fry Oysters

Dear Bay Weekly:

Back in January, I’m thinking, your editorial described oysters cooked in the oven in lieu of being fried. I tried that several years ago, making up my own recipe as I could find none. Much to my dismay, I was the only one who tried the oysters. Is it possible to share a recipe with me or lead me to a source of one?

A faithful reader,

–Dick Thompson, via email

Editor’s recipe:

My husband and I think mine are delicious, but it’s true they don’t have the glorious looks of a perfectly fried oyster. Or the calories.

Here’s how I do it, combining a standard oyster breading and a favorite Italian recipe for oven-fried fish.

Coat large oysters lightly in flour by shaking or patting. (I use whole-wheat pastry flour.) Dip in milk. Then pat with fine bread or cracker crumbs. Place each oyster on waxed paper and chill at least half an hour.

Heat a hot roasting oven, about 475 degrees. Spray both sides of oysters with olive oil. Place in baking pan. Improve flavor and appearance, if you’re not avoiding fat, by adding a tablespoon or two of olive oil and butter. Roast until just firm, no more than four minutes.

How to Find a Mislaid Story

Dear Bay Weekly:

I’m looking for the column from Dennis Doyle in March that explained the use of lures and catching fish in the Bay. It was an excellent article, but unfortunately I recycled the paper before I pulled the article. How can I obtain a copy?

Great content each week. Keep up the great work!

–Michael Trebbe, Rockville

Editor’s reply: Easy! Simply look in our archives at www.bayweekly.com. Archives are listed in the fourth text box from the top. Since you know the column was in March, check Dennis Doyle’s Sporting Life in every March issue: There were only four. Find Sporting Life by paging down the cover pages of each issue.

If you can’t find your story in March, look back to February, as I just did. The story you’re seeking is Five Must-Have Bay Rockfish Lures, which ran in the paper of February 18.