North Atlantic Seafood: A Comprehensive Guide With Recipes (Paperback)

by Alan Davidson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Mr. Davidson . . . has vast, multilingual acquaintance with the cuisines as well as the fishes of the world." -- Barbara Kafka

Product Description
The second installment in Alan Davidson'¬?s acclaimed seafood trilogy, NORTH ATLANTIC SEAFOOD is a comprehensive survey of the oceanic bounty found between the coasts of Europe and the shores of North America. The new edition provides detailed scientific descriptions of over 100 species, complemented by accounts of how the various fish, crustaceans, and mollusks are used in the cuisines of the North Atlantic region. A vast amount of information is imparted in Davidson'¬?s inimitable style, making the volume as accessible as it is authoritative. The recipe collection spans from France (Fillets of Sole with Morels) to Spain (Galician Octopus Pie) to South Carolina (She-Crab Soup) to Greenland (Marinated Halibut Fins). Superbly helpful, knowledgeable, and witty, this is a fascinating tour through the cultures and cuisines of the Atlantic, and the waters that gave rise to them.‚Ä¢ The original edition of NORTH ATLANTIC SEAFOOD received the prestigious Glenfiddich Gold Medal award and the Andr?© Simon Award.‚Ä¢ With over 100 line drawings and 200 regional recipes, this landmark volume is an essential part of any serious cook'¬?s library.Awards2002 James Beard Cookbook Hall of FameReviews"Mr. Davidson . . . has vast, multilingual acquaintance with the cuisines as well as the fishes of the world. . . . Davidson gives fish their rightful names in all the relevant languages and dialects; he supplies excellent regional recipes, and line drawings that will help you know what you are buying. You may gather that I love these books." -Barbara Kafka

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 3 edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580084508
• ISBN-13: 978-1580084505
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 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: #417,878 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A compendium of marine life, and how to cook it., May 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: North Atlantic Seafood (Paperback)

An unusual format for a cookery book, or for a catalog of marine life. In fact, it's both - the first half of the book is a catalog of marine species arranged by family (flatfish, molluscs, etc.), while the second half is a catalog of recipes for them, grouped by country of origin.

Although ostensibly North Atlantic in scope, the tome omits some species which occur also in the Mediterranean (the reader is referred to the author's book covering that sea's life and cuisine). However, Baltic Sea species are included, although most of them are actually freshwater types, due to the low salinity of the Baltic.

Common names for most species are supplied in several languages, according to the distribution of the creatures. Differences in regional naming are also noted. Fine sketches of each subject are accompanied by notes on distribution, habitat, etc., and pointers to appropriate recipes.

In the cookery section, there are no sketches, but many of the recipes are accompanied by anecdotes from the author's many travels. The instructions are brief, but complete enough for successful and tasty dining. In arranging dishes by geography, each nation is represented only by a fraction of its seafood, and some could easily be ascribed to several countries.

In summary, a very good book (if you can find it). It would be enhanced by use of colour instead of of black and white pictures, and addition of some pictures in the recipes section.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful cookbook and reference, August 5, 2000

By	Stavros Macrakis (Cambridge, MA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: North Atlantic Seafood, a complete guide to fish & shellfish (Hardcover)

All the commonly-eaten fish and shellfish of the North Atlantic are covered in this wonderful reference and cookbook. As in his Mediterranean Seafood, each animal's entry includes an old engraving (better than a photo for identification -- except for color), its scientific and common names in various languages, a description of the animals habit's and culinary qualities, and a reference to recipes.

Recipes are organized by country, and are well chosen and edited. The only criticism I might offer is that it is hard to find recipes by type. That is, it's very easy to find recipes for mackerel or recipes from Portugal, but it's hard to find all the baked-fish recipes suitable for a dark-fleshed fish.

A great book like this should never be out of print!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For fish geeks, December 8, 2008

By	ML (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: North Atlantic Seafood (Paperback)

If you (1) live close to the North Atlantic and (2) love fish and shellfish and (3) have a bit of geeky interest in details (maybe because you do your own fishing), this book is for your. All edible seafood in the North Atlantic is catalogued in this book. The book also offer a dictionary of species with translation to many languages.

If I offer critique I would say that the biological description of each species is fine, but that the culinary description could be improved. There is a recipe section (typical national dishes) and the culinary values are also identified when each fish is discussed. See, this is a book for fish geeks.