Customer Reviews

From Sea To Shining Sea: The Great American Seafood Cookbook

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

 

 

If you live in a part of the country where your only options as far as seafood are concerned are nasty old and stinky or frozen for three years then by all means cook some of the travesties presented in this book. If you have access to decent fresh fish then do yourself a favor, respect the creatures that gave their lives so you can eat, and don't smother them with cheese and heavy cream. With a few exceptions (butter and shellfish) heavy dairy products have no place on fresh seafood and this book asks you to to mask and violate the flavors and textures of quality fish with piles and piles of cheese (cheese and fish? GROSS!!) Like I said, if all you have is stinky, old, nasty fish then this book will provide you with great ways of disguising their flavors. If you have access to, and enjoy the flavors of quality fresh seafood please don't ruin it with these disgusting recipes. If this is "Great American" then this nation is in a sorry state.

A meandering journey through the world of seafood and the American way. It's a decent book, and an addition to my kitchen bookshelf, but here's why the two-stars: the author has virtually nothing to say about sustainability and a fair number of the hard-working American fishermen she references use destructive methods like bottom-trawling, or things like seine nets that frequently trap marine turtles. The sections on preparing seafood seem rushed through and the author uses terms, utensils and techniques that are never defined - a real pain-in-the-arse for the novice seafood cook. As if this weren't enough, most of the recipes are portioned for serving 6-10 people, making it one of the last books on my list to whip out on a Tuesday evening for a quick dinner idea for the spouse-unit and myself.

I love to cook! I always thought that fish prepared simply was best. This Loomis book really turned around my experience. She takes you on tour through areas where fish is caught and cooked. We get the recipes of fisherman (they know how to do this right) and also some incredible sauce recipes. I love Sauce Piquant with Redfish. Try it and see if you don't agree. I turn to this book so often for advice and recipes. It's a must have if you want to do Seafood right.

If you only have one seafood cook, this should be the one. Beside outstanding recipes, the care for fish products is very detailed.
A good addition to my cookbook collection.