Fish & Shellfish: The Cook's Indispensable Companion (Hardcover)

by James Peterson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Peterson (Sauces and Splendid Soups) has compiled a comprehensive, deftly organized guide to the preparation of seafood. The volume's four easily cross-referenced parts begin with cooking techniques and recipes in "Finfish" and "Shellfish." "Seafood in Other Guises" contains recipes for salads, soups, stews and such dishes as Ricotta and Sage Agnolini in Tomato Shrimp Broth and Salmon and Smoked Salmon Mousse Napoleons. "Finfish Dictionary" includes tips for identifying and cooking more than 200 species. The impressive range of Peterson's 150-plus recipes moves from the simple (Baked Mackerel with Mustard and Bread Crumbs) to the more challenging (Curry-Flavored Monkfish Croquettes with Pear Chutney) and includes the unusual (Arctic Char Baked in Salt; Indian-Style Sweet-and-Hot Seafood Chowder with Coconut Milk). Sidebars and boxes include tips for such things as taking the meat from lobster shells and buying scallops or seasoned vinegar for sushi. Charts for traditional ethnic dishes offer at-a-glance guides to ingredients, flavors, enrichers and garnishes. Peterson's authoritative, informal prose style blends well with the book's organization to make this volume a reference sure to please amateur and professional cooks. Also included are a glossary, source list and color photos. Homestyle Book Club selection; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
There is an incredible amount of information presented here, in headnotes preceding each of the more than 150 recipes, in the sidebars, and in the step-by-step photographs. The dishes represent innovative approaches to old and new cuisines; information on necessary equipment and notes from Peterson's own experience round out this outstanding cookbook. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 418 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1 edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688127371
• ISBN-13: 978-0688127374
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,087 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable resource for anyone who cooks seafood!, April 10, 2001

By	mirope "mirope" (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is the most comprehensive guide to seafood you will ever find. James Peterson has compiled great recipes and an amazing amount of information in this one volume. He very systematically describes every edible variety of seafood you're likely to find. He tells you what to look for when you are shopping, how to handle it and gives you a variety of options on how to cook it. I was particularly impressed with the "how to" photographs that demonstrate everything from how to fillet a variety of fish to how to shuck oysters and peel shrimp. The novice home cook will certainly benefit from this wealth of practical advice, and the more experienced chef will find all sorts of inspiring ideas for preparing favorite seafood. Peterson artfully combines recipes and serving suggestions from a variety of culinary traditions. He's equally adept at contemporary Thai-inspired soups and traditional French preparations. He also gives you the information you need to branch out and experiment on your own. For example, there are great charts suggesting pairings of shrimp and possible soup ingredients and a thorough offering of traditional sauces to mix and match with your own seafood preparations. This is truly an amazing resource that anyone who loves seafood should have in their kitchen.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It truly IS "The Cook's Indispensable Companion!!", August 5, 2000

By	sherri j. thorne (brooklyn, new york United States) - See all my reviews

I love to eat seafood! My problem was that I just didn't know to identify, clean or cook any of it. The very idea of going into a fish store gave me apoplexy. I needed professional help, and it arrived in the form of this excellent, and informative book. This book has it all! From the opening pages, author James Peterson takes the reader from the market to the table and answers every possible question that the reader may have about the buying, storing, and preparation of seafood. He discusses the various ways of preparing seafood such as braising, grilling & broiling, poaching & steaming. Finfish and shellfish are both identified in an excellent directory. Peterson also gives us ideas about other ways that we can prepare seafood from the simple soups & salades to the elaborate mousses and souffles. There is a glossery of foreign ingredients and a list of sources so that you can get everything needed for your receipes. If you want a definitive book on seafood preparation, this is the only one you'll ever need!!

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best seafood book out there, August 4, 2002

By	Matthew Fischer (brownsburg, in) - See all my reviews

This is a great book for anyone who loves seafood and has reasonable access to it. Unlike some other cookbooks (charlie trotter's seafood cookbook comes to mind), this book delivers excellent recipes with ingredients that for the most part can be found in your local grocery store. This is a cookbook for food lovers of all skill levels as it has an array of recipies with differing levels of difficulty, but, luckilly, explicit directions are given on everything from making the actual dish to selecting the seafood in the supermarket. If you are looking for a great cookbook to explore wonderful seafood dishes usually not found in restaurants, look no further. A personal favorite of mine in this book is the striped bass stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and shrimp.