The Young Man and the Sea : Recipes and Crispy Fish Tales from Esca (Hardcover)

by David Pasternack (Author), Ed Levine (Author), Christopher Hirsheimer (Photographer), Mario Batali (Foreword)
Key Phrases: lobster stock, rosemary oil, braised purple cabbage, The Young Man, Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Sautéed Wild Mushrooms (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
When a chef writes a cookbook, he or she must make often complex restaurant dishes accessible to home cooks without sacrificing the things that make them great. This is precisely what David Pasternack, chef at New York's Esca, has done in The Young Man and the Sea, a collection of 100-plus simple yet remarkable seafood recipes that cooks at all skill levels will want to try.

Featuring salads, including a delicious one of grilled tuna and artichokes; raw dishes such as Black Sea Bas with Pine Nuts; and pastas like Fettuccine with Rock Shrimp, Corn, and Jalapeño, the book also offers grilled and pan-fried favorites, like Grilled Snapper with Almond-Oregano Pesto, and "crispy" dishes, including a superlative Fritto Misto Amalfitano, among other course standouts. Throughout, Pasternack shares sage advice and cooking insights (for example, use a relatively low-temperature for frying to maintain fish moistness), that will broaden any cook's knowledge. Interspersed with stories of fisherman and local seafood markets, and with color photographs throughout, the book offers a singular, passionate understanding that will translate into great home cooking. --Arthur Boehm

Review
"Dave Pasternack is a fisherman, and his reverence for seafood shows in everything that comes from his kitchen. On occasion, the food actually makes me vibrate with pleasure."—Ruth Reichl, in Gourmet (Gourmet )

Dave Pasternack is a fisherman, and his reverence for seafood shows in everything that comes from his kitchen. On occasion, the food actually makes me vibrate with pleasure.Ruth Reichl, in Gourmet (Gourmet )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Artisan/Workman Publishing Company; illustrated edition edition (April 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157965276X
• ISBN-13: 978-1579652760
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #293,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!!....All the great restaurant recipes now at home!!, May 7, 2007

By	Michael Catalano (Royal Oak, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've visited Dave's restaurant, Esca, many times over and have never been disappointed. He does amazing things with seafood...especially with foods which I would never think of eating raw. I've always wondered how he does such masterful dishes and this book gives me that insight, and it's so simple. I can't wait to start serving crudo to my guests!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Missing ingredient!, August 27, 2007

By	Barbara Wellesley "Tough Critic" - See all my reviews

Can someone from Artisan Books or Mr. Pasternack please post the corrected recipe for "Scallops with Sauteed Spinach and Roasted Parsnips" (pgs. 216/217) here?

The description stays: "This dish is one of those seasonal bits of perfection that can't be improved upon. I love what the orange does to the parsnips -- namely, brings a little sweet acidity and zesty flavor to them."

Mmmm... I'm sure I'd love it too. Unfortunately, there's no mention whatever of orange in the recipe. Not in the scallop recipe, or the recipe for Roasted Parsnips that follows on the next page. Not in the list of ingredients, nor in the directions.

That quibble aside, the book is gorgeous and the recipes original, well thought-out and fresh. It's given me a renewed desire to buy and cook more fish - especially those outside my usual repertoire and comfort zone. But please, give your readers the Roasted Parsnip recipe -- with the orange included this time!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh Breeze of a Cookbook, October 9, 2007

By	Zen Chef "www.chefsgonewild.blogspot.com" (New York) - See all my reviews

Isn't there a paragraph of the Scriptures that goes like this : "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to cook it and he'll eat it everyday"? Well if it's not written that way it's because 'The Young Man and the Sea' wasn't published at the time! If you are lucky to live in New York and have visited Esca then you know this restaurant is the real thing. The secret of it's greatness is pristine fish, fresh produce and simple but flawless technique, there is no better chef or teacher than David Pasternack when it comes to our slimy friends... you should see the picture where they wiggle in terror as he approach the fishnet. Just follow one of his simple step by step recipes and you'll never go back to your old ways of cooking fish. Guaranteed. This is a "must have"!