Fish and Seafood Books

for those who eat tuna!! I turn to this cookbook several times a month when minutes matter.. we always have canned tuna in the pantry, and the other ingredients are usually on hand as well. A wonderful answer to the dinner dilemma, this little book has never failed me. It's a great book to come home to after a busy day when no meal is planned.

Surely a staple in every pantry and a favorite of every family, tuna fish has been recognized as an economic and healthful food. Now, "The Tuna Fish Gourmet" dresses up that rather commonplace commodity and touts tuna for the connoisseur.

Among the 75 recipes are Tuna Latkes, potato pancakes combined with white tuna, Herbed Tuna Salad flavored with fresh dill and heaped in avocado halves, and Linguini with Red Tuna Sauce. There are also tuna sandwiches that mother never dreamed of but would adore.

Engagingly illustrated with cartoons by Victoria Roberts, this small book offers recipes that are not only convenient and flavorful but also low in calories.

In its roughly 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes.

This installment, the Book of Fish and Shellfish, starts with an introduction on preparing, cooking, skinning and filleting fish and preparing shellfish, and then presents recipe suggestions for all major types of seafood recipes, from flatfish to mixed catch and smoked fish dishes. Special chapters are dedicated to firm white fish, rich fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels and oyster recipes. Classics such as crab cakes, Cajun style red snapper, chowders, gravlax, Mediterranean fish soup (bouillabaisse), oysters Rockefeller and seafood gumbo appear next to unique dishes such as bass with ginger and lime, flounder with prosciutto, monkfish in coconut cream, salmon with avocado salsa, trout and artichoke frittata, trout with hazelnuts, and tuna and ginger vinaigrette.

From Angels on Horseback (oysters wrapped in bacon) to yogurt-topped halibut, this collection of recipes, while not all-encompassing, is a great introduction to the endless varieties of seafood dishes - and at a relative bargain price, to boot.

I ordered this book months ago when on a quest to find a definitive book on sashimi. My husband as I are sashimi addicts. It's so good. It's fresh. It's also expensive. A meal out can run anywhere from $65 to $150. And with dining out 6-8 times a month, that expense needed to be curbed.

I wasn't willing to give up sashimi. At the same time, I feared shopping and handling my own fish. This is where the quest for the book comes. After discovering a fantastic place to buy sashimi (Catalina Offshore Products), my focus then shifted to how preserve, prepare, and know what to look for with sashimi grade fish. I bought two other books, Sashimi: The Essential Kitchen Series by Dekura, Hideo and The Great Sushi and Sashimi Cookbook (Great Seafood Series). Neither of these were complete.
This book isn't complete either, but I like it better than the others.

Here are a few of my issues with the book:

This book does not mention giant clam (geoduck or mirugai), which I believe is sacrilege.

This book doesn't explain cleaning techniques. For toro, I get specific instructions on how to care for toro (warm salt bath) prior to consuming. It's kinda disappointing that's not mentioned in the book.

There are many ways to make spicy tuna/salmon that don't include chili sauce. It mentions there are various ways "using various spices", but then only gives a recipe for one. My favorite is combining the fish, wasabi (to taste), soy sauce, scallion, sesame seed, and roe - mix with hand and either put it in a roll or eat on slices of cucumber....yummy.

The book implicitly says that mayo is the same as Japanese mayo. Yuk. Japanese mayo is lighter. I'd never use Helmmans in place of Kewpie.
I really, really wish it had included a recipe for ginger dressing, as I've been trying for months to no avail.

Anyway, it's worth the [...]for the recipes. There are a few I hadn't seen before (Hawaiian Poke) and the pictures are delicious looking.

I bought this cookbook as a little gift for my husband when I was on a business trip in Charlston, SC. The camoflauge cover especially caught my eye since my husband is an avid hunter. He brings home all types of game,fish and foul, and although I love to cook, I'm never quite sure how to prepare it. Much to my surprise, this little cookbook has become an excellent resource for us. The recipes are so simple, yet delicious, and use the most basic ingredients that most people already have in their cupboards. I highly recommend it!

I got this cookbook as a gift for a friend. After looking at the preview pages, I picked this stir-fry book because the ingredients looked easy to get and there was more than just asian dishes. I tried a recipe before I gave it to her, and enjoyed it. My friend also seems to enjoy it.

This slim volume of 44 recipes offers a great deal of variety for the home cook, showcasing recipes from around the world using the standard varieties of fish found in good fish markets throughout the country. Dividing the book into sections, the author features all the various methods of preparation--poaching and steaming, sautéing and frying, broiling and grilling, and baking and roasting--along with the garnishes, sauces, and salsas that can make fish cookery so interesting. A helpful photo is included for each recipe, along with suggested accompaniments.

Among the most interesting recipes for those looking for something different are: Tandoori Fish, with its marinade of ginger, onion, garlic, a variety of (readily available) Asian spices, and yogurt; Steamed Fish with ginger, green onions, and soy sauce; Broiled Fish in a Greek Marinade of garlic, oregano, thyme, and ouzo; and, my favorite, Italian Fish Stew, with green peppers, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, fennel, plum tomatoes and white wine. None of these recipes cook for more than 8 - 10 minutes, so if all the preparation is done ahead of time, cooking can be a no-fuss, last-minute activity.

A few of the recipes are not very attractive to look at. Though the Salmon Poached in Red Wine with Caramelized Shallots sounds as if it would be tasty, the purplish red wine sauce that bathes the fish is pretty daunting to look at. Trout with Prosciutto and Sage also sounds tasty, but the fish is served whole--the head, tail, and skin intact--not a pretty sight when wrapped in a blanket of red prosciutto.

No shellfish recipes are included, and those who live in parts of the country such as Florida and Hawaii, where a more exotic variety of fish is readily available, will have to figure out their own substitutions in these recipes. There is no mention of fish such as mahi-mahi or the unusual varieties of snapper so plentiful in these areas. A good cookbook with many interesting recipes, this is a helpful addition to a library which already has a more complete book on fish cookery. Mary Whipple

this book is full of easy and delicious fresh fish recipies. A must have for anyone who likes to eat fish.

Despite its low price on Amazon, this is a standout fish cookbook. One of its notable features is that the index cross-references similar fish. For example, if you happen to have red snapper, you'll find that the index points you to some very good recipes for striped bass and grouper that work well with the snapper. The recipe for salmon with fresh basil sauce by itself is worth the price of the book.

This is a great cookbook. I've tried several of the dishes, and they have all been good. I just made the swordfish piccata, and it was really yummy! There's a good variety, and even people who aren't big fish fans can find something they will like. The directions are clear and simple to follow, and the receipes are all easy to prepare.

This is a very short and simple book. But when it comes to cooking fish it is better to keep it simple and short anyway. So the recipes in this book are all winners.

In between the recipies are some smatterings of writing and some drawings. They are even better than the recipies. This book is perfect for short quick reads, so it ended up in the toilet (but not in a bad way).