Fish cook book

[ali patts]

I have stacks of cookery books in my house but every time I think of cooking fish I seem to lack anything to give me inspiration! Don't get me wrong I have books that have some lovely fish recipes but I have come to resent having to go through 10 books to find 40 recipes that aren't all that exciting. Does anyone know of a definitive fish cookery book? Complexity is not an issue, whilst I don't cook for hours after work I do at the weekends and if that means starting by filletting fish then so be it!

[Fuffy]

I strongly recommend Seafood Cookbook by Pierre Franey and Bryan Miller. It is one of my most used cookbooks. Practically everything I have made has been really good. I love the warm salmon salad with ginger (first recommended to me by my daughter);sauteed shrimp with sweet peppers -I use all red peppers, cut out the tomatoes and use (sweet) sushi vinegar; and the seafood salad with corn and rice - though rather than mixing it all in, I pile the seafood mixture on top for the looks. I think the book is now out of print but seems to be available incredibly cheaply on Amazon.
I'd be curious to know whether anyone else likes this book.

[NYchowcook]

I like Rick Stein's Complete Seafood.

[kevine]

Mark Bittman has an excellent book. It's called 'Fish - The Complete Guide To Buying and Cooking'.

[emilief]

The Legal Seafoods cookbook is very good and practical.

[tbilisi]

Another vote for James Peterson.
Susan Hermann Loomis did an all-seafood cookbook some years ago, and it's one of my favorites.

[debit]

James Peterson's book is my go-to standard. It is a true reference book.

However, I usually find more "inspiration" from non-reference books when it comes to seafood: grilled lobsters from Steve Raichlen; braised scallops from "All About Braising"; anything from "The Wine Lover's Cookbook" by Goldstein.

[Carb Lover]

I checked out Peterson's fish book from the library and found it dry, dry, dry. This may very well be a good, detailed reference book, but I had no problem returning it after my first 2 weeks were up (which says alot because I usually max out at 8 wks). Didn't inspire me at all.

There are some nice fish recipes in the Balthazar and Babbo books.

[Karl S]

The standard references in chronological order would likely be:

James Beard, James Beard's New Fish Cookery (1976 update of his 1954 classic)
James Peterson, Fish & Shellfish: The Definitive Cook's Companion (1996)
Rick Stein, Rick Stein's Seafood - Complete Seafood (2005)

[rtmonty]

We have a James Beard Fish cookbook that is outstanding. It's very old so don't know if it's still available, might check with Amazon or someplace like that. Has many unique "old" recipes.

[oakjoan]

I really liked Rick Stein's cooking show on PBS a while ago. He has several books out but I don't have any. Would like some feedback on this Brit. chef from Paddington(?).

[ali patts]

Rick Stein has a restaurant in Padstow in Cornwall. (And a 'fish and chip' shop - which is better - keep reading.) Can't say as I will ever buy a book - ate a dodgy oyster there and can't get the memory out of my head!