No comments about Jane Grigson's Fish Book.

No comments about FDA Fish Encyclopedia - Guide to Identification, FDA Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia, Seafood and Shellfish Safety (CD-ROM).

No comments about Mrs Beetons Complete Book of Fish and Seaf.

3 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sushi and Sashimi.

1. 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.



2. Ummmm.... Sushi....
   
   I haven't met too many pieces of sushi I haven't liked, so I could resist picking up a copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sushi and Sashimi by James O. Fraioli and Chef Kaz Sato at the library when it became available. If you are capable of following a recipe, you shouldn't have too many problems creating most of the items contained here. I *will* say I wish there had been more pictures of the finished pieces, however.
   
   Contents:
   Part 1 - The Basics: The Key Ingredients; Additional Ingredients; The Sushi Kitchen; Tips and Techniques
   Part 2 - The Recipes: Sashimi a la Carte; Sushi; Sushi Rolls; Cooked Rolls and Tempura Rolls; Vegetarian Recipes; Appetizers and Salads
   Index
   
   For a relatively short book, Fraioli covers most of the essential knowledge in a concise manner. You learn about the different types of fish often used, other ingredients such as vegetables and fruit, as as well as the equipment you'll need to get started. He also covers the best ways to cut and slice the meat so that you get the best sections of the fish without dealing with bones and other undesirable fishy pieces. The majority of the book is then devoted to different recipes that you can follow to create your own delicacies. He goes everywhere from tuna sashimi to tuna rolls, scallops to shrimp heads, California rolls to Dragon rolls. The instructions are pretty easy to follow, and once you've done a few you should be well on your way to making tasty sushi that doesn't look all too bad once you set it on a plate.
   
   The only nit for me in the book was the lack of pictures. There are eight full color pages in the middle that each show a couple of different dishes. But in many cookbooks, I'm used to seeing both the dish and the recipe side by side so you know what you're working towards. Granted, doing that format would have made the book much larger and more expensive. Still, sometimes it's hard to conjure up an idea of what you should be looking at once you finish.
   
   Now, after all that reading, I need to find me a sushi bar... I'm hungry!



3. I waited several months to receive this book, which turned out to be a disappointment. There is nothing contained in the book that cannot be found elsewhere, in more detail, and with illustrations. There is far too little time spent explaining the selection of ingredients and techniques for making successful sushi. Surprisingly few fish selections are included, and there is not much information on the proper filleting and cutting techniques for each fish. Recipes are either overly detailed or skip steps. Too many of the recipes are Americanized and contain far too many ingredients for the average home cook, with an emphasis on complicated restaurant-style rolls. Little space is dedicated to nigiri sushi and chirashi is barely mentioned. Virtually no information is given on plating and garnishing, which are of vital importance to the proper presentation of sushi. All in all, this is a very disappointing effort.

4 comments about Loaves and Fishes.

1. Lively, colorful, light-hearted, high-spirited. Illustrated by kids' crayon and paint. Punctuated with lady-bugs' comments. This kids' cookbook is practical and simple. It's a fun, non-preachy way to teach kids social responsibility in a world of limited resources. It's also an easy, painless way to promote healthy food choices through delicious recipes.---Carol Hass, Sammamish, WA



2. I have owned this book since 1985, and it is still one of my favorites. The ingredients are very basic for most recipes and the directions are easy for a child to follow. There are safety directions included for young chefs. The illustrations are adorable; following the little ladybug is part of the fun of using this book. My favorite recipe is "Gingerbread Modeling Dough". I loved it when I was a child; as an adult, I have made dough ahead of time and taken it to church for my Sunday school students to model and bake. "Marcia's Gold Mine Sandwich" is an easy breakfast recipe that kids can prepare for those Mother's Day breakfasts in bed. The "Foods from Other Lands" section was probably my favorite growing up. It must have been my mom's favorite too, because she still makes "Dutch Puff" for breakfast on Sunday mornings.



3. We got this cookbook new when I was about 7 years old, and my older sister and I loved exploring the recipes and experimenting in the kitchen into our jr high years. I just bought it (used) for my daughter who is four, and am excited to use it with her.
   
   Kids will recognize by the crayon drawings, ladybug "narrator" on every page, and neatly hand-printed writing that this cookbook is for them. Even though it is clearly for kids, it is a "real" cookbook, with a variety of nutritious and fun recipes.
   
   It starts with a retelling of the Bible story of a boy who offers his lunch to Jesus, who uses it to feed 5,000 people. In a very kid-friendly way, it then explains some of the food injustice in the world today, and how we can help by preparing and eating food that is less processed.
   
   Now an adult, I can see why I loved this cookbook as a child: it is kid-friendly in all aspects of organization. The introduction includes explanations of cooking terms, illustrations of cooking tools, and cooking tips. The recipes are organized into sections including "Snacks and Garden Goodies," "Celebration Foods for Holidays and Special Days," "Picnic, Camping, and Outdoor Foods," and "Foods from Other Lands"--all of these section titles are fun for kids! Each recipe is formatted under the headings "What You Need:" "What You Do:" and "What You Get:" all clearly written. And the index is organized by recipe type to allow a child to easily find a cookie recipe, or bread recipe, or main dish. A preschooler could follow the directions with help, and a 12 year old could independently make a meal with this cookbook.
   
   I hope it gets republished someday, until then, buy it if you can!



4. This was my favorite cookbook when I was a child. It teaches an important lesson and has great meal ideas. Now that I am a mom of two small cooks I use it all of the time. I buy it for friends and recommend it often.

2 comments about Coastal Cooking with John Shields.

1. I loved Chesapeake Bay Cooking by this author and I adore Coastal Cooking. For anyone who has loved cooking on or by the beach, this book is a must have. It's strong in seafood recipes but there is so much more. The Firefly Farms Goat Cheese Cheescake is to die for! Can't wait for the companion show.



2. Fish are the most difficult challenges for me when it comes to cooking so this book gets high grades as being a real help. A good addition to any cooking collection.

1 comments about The Great Fish and Seafood Cookbook.

1. As a stranded couple of spearfishers and sail enthusiasts we got this cookbook from a street vendor. Now two years later we have memorized most of the recipies.We absolutely recommend this to seafood lovers for too many recipies(reasons I mean).

1 comments about The Book of Fish and Shellfish (Book of...).

1. 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.
   
   Also recommended:
   Around the World Cookbook
   Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
   Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)
   Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World
   On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only
   Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

2 comments about Putting Up Fish on the Kenai: A Guide to Processing Alaska Salmon in the Cook Inlet Tradition.

1. Below is a press release from the CIRI Foundation regarding this book (http://www.thecirifoundation.org/PressReleases.htm):
   
   "The book is a "how-to" manual for smoking and jarring one of Alaska's most prized resources. It is also a tribute to Rika Florence Murphy, first recognized chief of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, who lovingly passed on her precise methods to Felton, her daughter. Many of the photographs featured in the book were taken at the "fish camp," which was introduced at Cook Inlet Tribal Council's Youth Camp located on the Kenai Peninsula in Ninilchik where this technique was taught to many of the young people at the camp."
   
   "In addition to its step-by-step instructions, the book includes detailed design plans for the constructions of an "urban smokehouse," providing city dwellers with a means to recreate these traditional techniques of processing salmon. The 96-page paperback book, 7 inches by 10 inches, contains many photos to illustrate the process, as well as historic and contemporary pictures, including a 10-page section of color photographs. It retails for $19.95, with proceeds from its sale going to The CIRI Foundation to support the foundation's cultural programs and scholarships."
   
   "Clare Swan of Kenai, Cook Inlet Tribal Council chairperson and Kenaitze tribal member, had this to say about the book: "This book is one more happy way for me to remember my friend Rika. It's a special gift to Kenaitze tribal members and others in our community -- truly, a tribute to this resourceful, caring, thoroughly modern Dena'ina woman."
   Alan Boraas, professor of anthropology at Kenai Peninsula College, also commented on the book. He said: "The Dena'ina have been catching, processing, and sharing fish from the Kenai River maybe for as long as there have been salmon to catch. In this book, Hazel Felton describes the careful, exacting way her mother, the late Rika Murphy, and other Elders taught her about the proper way to process salmon. But this is far more than a 'how-to' guide. As their ancestors did, the Dena'ina infuse the salmon with a part of themselves" through the proper execution of 'putting up fish.' Later, when people travel from house to house the words, "I have some salmon for you" take on a special meaning as the produce of the land merges with the people's bond of kinship in the sharing of salmon"" (Press Release, dated March 4, 2005 from the CIRI Foundation, http://www.thecirifoundation.org/PressReleases.htm).



2. Since I have moved away from home, I have missed my mother's smoked salmon strips. People around SE Alaska smoke large chunks of fish. Because of the size, the fish stays moist and must be frozen to be kept for long periods of time. My mom smoked strips and made jerky out of it. We called it "Squaw candy", and it is my favorite method for eating smoked salmon. The recipes in this book are very similar to my mom's, the photo illustrations are very helpful, and with the instructions in this book building a smoke house and smoking/canning salmon are a breeze. I plan on building my own smoke house this summer and putting up fish the way my mom used to.

No comments about Wild Fish Cookbook: Recipes from North America's Top Fishing Lodges.