Seafood Cookbooks ~ Page 3

Mystic Seafood ~ Kerr
2007 softcover ThreeForks 209 pages


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The historic village of Mystic is located in Connecticut and has a history rich in seafaring and fishing. The author draws upon her history with Mystic to present the traditional New England seafood recipes. But that is merely the start – she jumps headlong into both European and Asian influenced recipes to offer up a truly delectable compendium of great seafood recipes.

This cookbook is nicely divided into three parts: bivalves (oysters, clams, mussels and scallops); crustaceans (lobster, crab and shrimp); and fin fish (bass, bluefish, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, mackerel, salmon, shad, smelts, squid, swordfish and tuna).

There are a plethora of wonderful basic recipes, with interesting accompaniments, such as: Grilled lobster with avocado lime mayonnaise; Grilled halibut with nectarine poblano salsa; and Grilled mackerel with citrus and fennel. You can learn how to make your own gravlax, smoked bluefish and smoked mackerel paté.

Strewn throughout are historic recipes, quotes and photos. The authors are generous with their tips on how to make certain basic concoctions, and their tips are great. One of the fun things in the book is a two page spread on "How to eat a lobster and maintain your dignity"!

The black and white photos are calming and the recipes are enticing.

The author of this excellent seafood cookbook wanted to "bring together two of her passions – food and the sea", and she succeeded wonderfully!

Bobby Flay's Grilling For Life ~ Flay
2008 hardback Scribner 210 pages


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If you love to grill food and want more recipes for doing just that, or have always wanted to learn how to grill food properly, this cookbook will fit the bill for both. Although not exclusively dedicated to seafood, there are more than 50 pages of fish recipes in here, making it at least a player in the realm of seafood recipes in cookbooks.

Some of our favorites are: Babecued mahimahi with yellow pepper cilantro pesto; Whole sea bass with a charred serrano basil vinaigrette; and Grilled shrimp in lettuce leaves with serrano mint sauce.

This is from just a slightly younger Bobby Flay (aren't we all?) and the recipes are fresh and easy to prepare. There's a center section with some lovely full color photographs, but mostly this book consists of just simple, easy to follow directions for making great seafood on the grill.

Salt – Cooking with the Word's Favorite Seasoning ~ Aikman-Smith
2009 hardback Ryland Peters & Small
64 pages


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Ms. Aikman-Smith is a food stylist and a cook. And she obviously loves sea salts! Chapters include Appetizers; Entrees; Sides and Breads; Rubs, Butters and Brines; Drinks and Sweets. There are more than 50 recipes in total that all embrace the world of gourmet salt. Lovely photography by Mr. Gregson. If you're curious about how to use artisan and gourmet sea salts, this is a terrific starting cookbook.

Florida's Cooking Secrets ~ DeVanna Fish
1998 softcover Bon Vivant Press 288 pages


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If you love to explore cooking regional cuisines, this cookbook is right up your alley. The cookbook is organized into 4 sections: the Florida Keys, southern Florida, central Florida and northern Florida. The recipes in each section are garnered from some of the most famous Florida inns and restaurants. For example, in southern Florida, The Bistro restaurant has supplied recipes for its Shrimp and Corn Chowder and Grouper a la Chef Rene. The Cafe Creole and Oyster Bar in Ybor City (near Tampa) shares recipes for Bar-B-Que Shrimp Orleans, Seafood Gumbo, and Bread Pudding with Warm Whiskey Brandy Sauce. From Pensacola to Daytona, you are sure to find recipes from some of the most well known eateries in the area.

Recipes are also organized by course, and it's easy to browse through the sections and see what food you might like to make. The courses include breakfast and breads, appetizers, soups, salads and dressings, game and poultry, meat, seafood, pasta and grains, sauces and condiments, and final temptations. Because Florida is surrounded on 3 sides by water, the seafood recipes are numerous; way more than an average regional cookbook might have. And they run the gamut from complex to amazingly simple to prepare. This is a great addition to your cooking library.