Customer Reviews

The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is THE game cookbook. Ever had anyone joke about eating 'possum? The recipes are here! There are recipes for all game animals/birds, fish and many non-game species. It is well written and, at nearly 500 pages, is a must for anyone who might be in the position to cook the ordinary as well as the unusual.

It contains info on game preparation such as filleting, butchering, smoking, grilling, and more. It provides info about the game you are cooking and even describes how to determine the age of the game you are about to prepare!

The authors experiences are shared and fun to read. Think of this book as the gold standard and the litmus test to which all others must pass.

I have many shelves full of cookbooks, including many on wild game. But if I could only keep one book this would be it. This book is the best. I have owned this book since early 1984; it is now dog eared and marked up with comments from the dozens of recipes I have tried. Not only does it give you the best cooking methods for wild game (deer, duck, woodcock, antelope, snipe, etc), but also the accompaniments to go with them (wild rice, braised cabbage, etc) and recipes for camp or field (bannock bread, jerky, etc). If you treasure the sporting life, buy this book.

I have a rather large cookbook collection (over 500) but if I had to narrow it down to three (there's no way I could only save 1!) This would be one of the first I would grab. The other 2 would be the Better Homes & Gardens "New Cook Book" and as many of the Frugal Gourmet (Jeff Smith) books I could grab; especially, "The Immigrant Ancesters" cookbook.

I have used this book SO many times. From Quail to goose to ice cream made with snow.

Awesome book with great reading.

As an avid hunter and fisherman, I am always looking for great game recipes. This book delivers. I have owned it for many years and have prepared virtually all of the many venison recipes, as well as many others. I have never been disappointed. Some favorites include Buck with Bourbon, Venison steak with Porcini mushrooms, Devil River Venison (a spicy casserole from Texas of venison with pinto beans), and the Scottish classic Steak and a Dram (venison steak in a sauce made with Stilton Cheese and just a dash of Scotch Whisky). Another favorite is Heart of Venison Braised with Root Vegetables. Even if you don't like heart this dish will make you a believer. There are also many great ground venison recipes. For anyone who hunts or fishes and loves to eat what they catch, this book would be an outstanding choice.

I have used this book for years, and have found it to be one of the most comprehensive wild game cookbooks around. If you eat alot of wild meat (as we do) this book is a must have!

If you don't hunt or fish, you may think The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook would have no appeal for you at all. You should know, however, that besides being the gold standard for the genre, it's one of the most readable and sophisticated cookbook classics you could have on your shelf. Although I've only used the fish recipes, I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the stylish Game section..

Take a trip through this wonderful book and you'll be convinced. Here are some of the highlights, by chapter.

RED MEAT:
We learn that any gamy taste is caused by "improper handling of the game animal when it was dressed, butchered, or transported." A key to method of preparation is the age of the animal and there are some excellent tips for determining age.

Take note that moose "skinny from the rut" are best larded.

If you avoid these pitfalls you can reward yourself with a fine Buck and Bourbon; Venison Chili; Moose A La Mode; or Blanquette of Antelope. (Rejected out of hand by the reviewer: A Highland Haggis, starting with red deer tripe and lungs.)

You could, of course, substitute a more familiar meat in many of these recipes.

SMALL FURRED GAME:
Here you find a wealth of information about proper prep.

On the beaver: "Its preparation involves a bit of doing" -- cutting out musk glands, soaking. Roast it whole, with sage dressing sewn up inside. Or the possum: "Remember a possum should be handled first to last just as you would handle a suckling pig." Roast Possum With Yams can be your reward.

GAME BIRDS:
This chapter begins with an excellent overview of handling and hanging, and removing shot pellets from game birds. The authors' warning to the cook: "Shooters cleaning a number of birds get careless about this sometimes, so the cook may have to exert quality control."

Once you have your bird prepared, there are some truly wonderful recipes offered. Among the most appealing are Roast Stuffed Pheasant With Sorrel; Pheasant Marengo; Partridge or Grouse Pie With Oysters; Wild Turkey Gumbo. This and the WATERFOWL chapter are the most familiar and accessible of the Game section.

FISH:
"Like asparagus and corn, the sooner killed (or picked) and cooked the better." Supporting that advice, the authors advocate catch-and-release, with only enough fish taken for the day's meal.

These recipes stand equal to any you will find in your cookbook collection. The first is the simplest and the most evocative: Trout Sauteed In Butter. Other wonderful offerings are Baked Salmon Fillets Lapland Style; Baked Stuffed Great Northern Pike; Swordfish Chowder; Roast Wild Duck With Orange Sauce; and a mouth-watering Fresh-water Bouillabaisse.

Besides recipes, Angus Cameron and Judith Jones produced a full-service manual for preparing food from the wild -- in the wild. They cover general camp recipes, pointers for handling food, and useful implements.

The spirit of this book resides, I think, in the wonderful advice for would-be camp cooks, which could be translated to cooking in the home as well. "...The hunting camp cook becomes a kind of privileged character...He never bucks or splits or totes a stick of wood; he never washes or dries a dish or a cup; he carries no water sloshing icily on his stagged pants from the lake or spring."

And clearly he--or she--eats like royalty, if this classic cookbook goes along on the trip.

Linda Bulger, 2008

This book does everything. It looks good on the shelf, is interesting to read, has nice illustrations, and contains much more information than just recipes. Oh, it also has a lot of fantastic recipes. It's not even close as to what I would keep were I to only have one game cookbook. This one's the best. Makes a great gift - I know, that's how I got it and I think of the person that gave it to me with warm thoughts every time I use it.

Any type of wild game and fish recipes are all here in one book.The anecdotes and stories are wonderfully funny. Even if you don't hunt or fish, this is an excellent book to have.

I love this book. Love it. Since I could walk I have spent a lot of my time hunting and fishing. I have also cooked everything I hunted and caught but it did not always taste great. The LL Bean Fish and Game Cookbook has realy helped my cooking and my enjoyment after the hunt. It has also helped me understand why dinner tastes good somtimes and not others. I like this book so much that I keep several coppies in my office to give as a gift. Whether beginer or the outdoorsman/woman who has everything this is a good addition to the operation. Don't be afraid to try the recipes. I have not been let down by any of them.

This book has a ton of different recipes for a ton of different animals and fish, some of which I never even considered could be tasty. Ingredients were listed in bold and easy to read. The instructions, however, were in paragraph form. Bulleted form would have been much easier to read on the fly while you're in the process of cooking the recipe.

Really, the main reason I didn't like this book was because I'm a pretty healthy eater. Part of the reason I eat a ton of game and fish is because it's so much better than what you can generally find in the store or fast food. However, nearly every recipe in this book completely negates the health benefits. Cooking in absurd amounts of butter or oil, almost always adding grease or pork fat to venison recipes, etc... Yea, it tastes great, and yea, I'm sure that's how the restaurants do it, but it's not the way I'd prefer to cook my fish and game. I will continue to look for a wildlife cookbook that uses healthier methods.