Customer Reviews

!ceviche!: Seafood, Salads, And Cocktails With A Latino Twist

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

 

 

Ceviche! by chef Guillermo Pernot and Aliza Green, offers 48 ceviche recipes-and everything you need to know about this little side dish-along with chapters on salsas, salads and cocktails-all tied together with extraordinary full-page color photographs. That's the good news. The bad news is that ingredients called for in most of the recipes are not readily available. To their credit, the authors have a chapter on special ingredients and sources, as well as a glossary of 54 entries pulled out of the recipes. Nonetheless, to make the dishes in this book requires a commitment to shop for and stock the pantry with niche spices, condiments, veggies, fruits and booze. The material on escabeches, salads, salsas, vinaigrettes, garnishes and cocktails is more user friendly, but even here the ingredient requirements are daunting.

The book is impressive from the culinary point of view. Pernot's techniques are well grounded. The text is to the point and fun to read. His interest in Japanese fresh fish cuisine influences his ceviche creations in inventive and delightful ways. The food presentation, serving dishes and settings for the photos are terrific. In all, Pernot presents an in-depth look at ceviche.

But there is more to this book. Upon reflection while in the process of selecting some recipes that I might use in class, I now conclude (a week or so after writing the above) that Pernot takes civiche to new and creative heights. This book is "way out there," in the manner of chef Keller's The French Laundry. It is full of ideas that experienced cooks will ponder and use. Which, come to think of it, is a desired outcome of reading any cookbook. Few chef/authors, however, reach this level of creative substance

What drove me down to only one star was the lack of even a basic discussion of curing and the parameters that can be varied. Rather that discuss basic marinade in a detailed chapter at the front of the book, its relegated to the appendices.

My country is world famous for ceviche, so I can recognize a good recipe when I see one. I was looking forward to this book, but was dissapointed by its sophistication and complex recipes, two non- existing elements when making a true ceviche. To us, (latins), a good ceviche is made always keeping the freshness and flavor of fish or seafood and not masking it with heavy sauces or complex additions. This book has nothing to do with the real thing.

Been anticipating this book since last year as I am much into cookbooks AND cooking and had read a profile of the author. Should have been a wonderful book, but it doesn't do justice to the topic and doesn't do alot of what it could/should. It really comes off as a very self indulgent collection of his own finicky little weird haute cuisine combos of often rather esoteric seafood and vegies (and I'm no stranger to fine cuisines as I live in what is popularly called "gourmet ghetto" in Calif.! He seems to want to redefine ceviche as whatever he wants to fix (like lambstounges!)No good overview on types of treatments and types of fish/seafood and why some are better than others and under what cirumstances. Some good info on seafood handling that is unremarkable. Completely lacks some of the awesome ceviche treatments that I have had from several continents and at least 10 different cultures. Good print production/photo values. Didn't find 2 recipes that grabbed me, which is my rule of thumb, so I returned it!

When I order this book, I was very excited. Upon receipt of the book, I was not impressed with the elaborate presentations. The chef did not give enough basic information for using raw fish in many of these recipes. In two instances, I could not find the ingredients for the dishes I wanted to try. Overall, I did not like this book at all.

Ok...1st thing is 1st

This book is written by a real chef who started out as a front of the house kinda guy (you know the guy who wears the suit and comes out if there's a problem) who just understood great food. He transitioned to the back of the house (chef) and owned arguably one of Philadelphia's all-time best Latin restaurants ¡Pasión!, which has now since closed due to speculation of mismanagement. Who care though in the end the food was out of this world!

The recipes are restaurant recipes reworked for the home cook. They may seem cumbersome and a little intensive, but this is what goes into great food. I hold certain opinions as to how lazily the average American is as a person let alone as a cook. Open this book with all the passion and soul of the first time you tasted amazing Latin food and it is sure to inspire you. There are amazing techniques that are as old as the Aztecs such as frying chili peppers to remove their skin, or wrapping fish filets in plastic and par freezing them so they are easier to slice . Read this book. Especially if you are a cook. If you like Rachel Ray (STAY AWAY)...lol

A great book for all those who like fish. Extremely well conceived and very easy to follow. Just envoy the preparation, the cooking and the pleasure of eating what you have prepared