Fish & Shellfish: The Cook's Indispensable Companion

I live in Tokyo so I've been blessed to eat at the biggest seafood market in the world - Tsukiji Fish Market. This book explains the importance of fresh vs. frozen seafood and I couldn't agree more. I happen to be part of the U.S. military so I have access to American seafood (frozen) from the commissary, which is basically an American market for the military, and access to the Japanese market right outside the base, since I live in Japan. I can compare and contrast the same fish - Salmon, and boy is the difference dramatic. The frozen salmon from America that is usually farmed and not wild, is tasteless, bland, and to be honest like garbage. Even the frozen salmon from the Japanese markets tastes better and fresher than the frozen ones bought in American markets. I've also lived in America for 20+ years, so I have a memory of what frozen fish tastes like. Fresh salmon from Japan is also incomparable to frozen salmon. It melts in your mouth and is truly delicious - raw or cooked.This book details how to buy fish (what to look for - eyes, feel, smell, etc), how to store the fish (within 30 minutes after grocery store in a colander with an ice bed), how to prepare the fish, how to butcher the fish (deboning, shucking for clams, crabs, lobsters live and dead), and lastly how to cook the fish. The author is extremely detail oriented and feels like a person that has OCD, in other words, anal.Everything from the fat content to each type of fish (low - anchovies, high - eel), to what type of wine to serve, specific methods of cooking for the type of fish (whether to bake or panfry), how to keep fish from sticking to the pan, and step-by-step instructions to cooking it (grilled, broiled, pan fried, in soups, etc), to even a dictionary of the types of fish and their history is revealed here (like wikipedia).Here's an example of the fish DICTIONARY in the back of the book! Keep in mind this is a DICTIONARY ENTRY, where normal dictionaries have just 1 sentence:COD"At least until recently, the cod and its close relatives were among the most important food fish in the world. This is still largely true except that in certain species - particularly the Atlantic cod for which the entire family is named-have been so overfished that there aren't many left.The cod family, Gadidae, includes not only the so-called true cods -- the Pacific and Atlantic cods -- but also haddock, whiting, hake, pollack, scrod (a name for baby cod), grenadier, and cusk. Even though all of these groups of fish are related, the quality of the flesh varies, with some species having a firmer texture and a sweeter flavor.Depending on the species, members of the cod family are sold whole, with the head off, or as skinless or skin-on fillets. Larger specimens are also sometimes sold as steaks. Much cod and the closely related pollack are also processed and frozen into packaged foods such as fish sticks.Because most members of the cod family have lean and delicate fish, they are adaptable to most cooking techniques and recipes using delicately flavored ingredients. Don't confuse authentic members of the cod family with black cod -- really a sablefish -- or with rock cod, which is a member of the unrelated rockfish family, or with lingcod, which is actually a greenling.Best methods: panfrying, braising, poaching, in chunks in soups and stews, deep frying.Avoid: serving whole fish with the skin still attached or with the skin on; raw (because of parasites)Yield: 30 % to 40% fillet from ungutted fishAppearance when cooked: white, flakyTexture when cooked: moderately firm; soft to slightly firm (hakes and whitings)Fat content: very lowFlavor: delicate, sweet "When I took a culinary courses near the last military base in America, they used James Peterson's SAUCES book, another excellent resource. I strongly recommend this book and his SAUCES book, along with THE FLAVOR BIBLE and Wayne Gisslen's PROFESSIONAL COOKING (however, I do not recommend the Culinary Institute of America's PROFESSIONAL COOKING as it's not as accurate in the recipes as Gisslen's), Norman Weinstein's MASTERING KNIFE SKILLS, if you want to learn how to cook professionally. Those books were the core of my culinary class.

I am really happy with this book. Explains in details all the techniques and give advice. There is a fish glossary that explains in details the differences between different kind of fishes or the relation between them.A big variety of recipes with very good explanation. I bought this book today and I run every single page because I wanted to see if this book is going to cover all of my needs and exceeded my expectation. If you love fish and seafood then it is a must!!!!

Didn't have slot pictures.

He tells you the ever-important WHY of everything...buy the book, find something fresh and go for it. I bought it because I wanted to eat a larger variety of seafood...follow the recipes and you'll talk trash about most restaurant seafood and you'll stop ordering it because it's so much better at home. I also have "vegetables" by him...both are comprehensive and very detailed. If you want 1 book per category, he seems to deliver. Some people might want more pictures of the cooked recipes...but I like google images and the williams sonoma books for that stuff (even though they're dated...their website is good too).

This wonderful cookbook has yet to disappoint. It tells you what to look for when purchasing, what fish can be substituted in recipes; it has clear descriptions of various cooking methods, and pulls in a wide variety of recipes from all around the world. You'll be pleased with its detail on such basics as steaming lobsters and mussels, as well as some stunning off-the-beaten path recipes like a Brazilian shrimp stew. We have made several of the dishes in this book, and have found them simple enough for a family Sunday dinner or elegant enough for a Saturday dinner party. Many recipes are also quick enough for a weeknight. A favorite in our household, and worth giving to your friends.

Anything you could possibly want to know about fish, how to buy them, when to buy them, where to buy them, and the best possible way to cook them is ALL in this book. The recipes are all fairly simple - any home cook with a moderate amount of experience should be able to execute them easily. There are also a number of helpful resources like sauces, how to filet (and when not to), and different cooking techniques to achieve different flavors and results.If you're serious about eating more fish or getting more adventurous with the way you cook it - this is a must have.

Not very current for today's cooking, nor is it innovative, but rather more the older style of cooking. Not really for us, although could be appealing to others.

I think James Peterson is one of the best cookbook authors out there, hands down! He goes into so much detail about the subject of each books, you feel like your taking a course at culinary school! There are also so many varied recipes and different techniques of cooking that your just becoming a better cook by making his recipes. The only thing I wish there was more of are pictures, I really love to see what it's supposed to look like versus what I made :)

well laid out, great recipes. my friend rec'd it as a gift from me for Christmas. he loves cooking. he's a voracious reader. this cookbook checked all the boxes. he loves it

Very good

This is the one-stop fish shop!!! I have owned several copies over the years. This is my standard gift to any West coast bride!!!

The book is excellent. My copy was a bit damaged, but the seller was excellent, and gave me a 50% refund. I would recommend both the book and the seller. Thank you

Great pictures of how-to basics of seafood and shellfish preparation and techniques. Recipes are a little dated though!