cover image Fish Market: A Cookbook for Selecting and Preparing Seafood

Fish Market: A Cookbook for Selecting and Preparing Seafood

Kathy Hunt with illustrations by Mariko Jesse. Running Press, $22 (248p) ISBN 978-0-7624-4474-8

With a literal ocean of options for seafood, Hunt looks to make choosing and cooking fish as easy as possible. With sections on each of the major kinds of fish, including bivalves, crustaceans, and also "sometimes forgotten seafood," all aspects of preparing a pescetarian feast are covered. Each variety receives the hook-to-plate treatment, from buying seafood in the market and proper storage techniques to cleaning, cooking, and preparation. For anyone interested in finding a healthy alternative to red meat, this book is a helpful resource. With classic dishes like "Beer-Battered Cod" and "Mussels Pro-vencal," and more adventurous dishes like "Octopus, Crushed Tomatoes, and Kalamatas over Pap-pardelle" and "Malaysian Fish Soup" there is something for everyone. Unfortunately, lacking photo-graphs, some of the more intricate instructions become too technical for easy comprehension. A few choice photos would have made the cleaning and cooking of certain fish more approachable. It's a frustrating flaw in this otherwise fine guidebook for learning to deal with a cornucopia of seafood. (May)