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(More customer reviews)Most of us fall into one of two categories when it comes to seafood: One group understands the great flavors that comes from grilling or smoking it and the other breads it and fries it. I fall squarely into that second group. It's even come to the point where I just avoid the seafood counter at my local market all together after the damage I've done to some really beautiful slabs of fish. After all, there is a difference between between messing up a $1.99 per pound rack of spare ribs and a $12.99 per pound tuna steak.
But then came along "Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked", an excellent book by Karen Adler and Judith M. Fertig. These authors may sound familiar; between them they've penned 14 cook books, one of which - "Easy Grilling & Simple Smoking with the Barbeque Queens" - they wrote together. Adler owns Pig Out Publications, the world's only book publisher/distributor devoted solely to barbecue. Fertig writes a weekly food column for The Kansas City Star. Thus, their credentials are well-earned and in "Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked" they've done their best work to date.
The book's stripped-down format is a clever move. It's logically arranged into three parts: Grilling Fish and Shellfish, Smoking Fish and Shellfish and Every Thing Else You Need (yes, that is indeed the name of Part III). Parts I and II are divided into two chapters each - one for fish and one for shellfish. Following a 14-page introduction on grilling fish and shellfish, there are over 90 recipes for fish and 30 for shellfish in Part I (the fish and shellfish recipes are conveniently separated into their own chapters). Part II follows the same plan as it applies to smoking with about 25 recipes on fish and 19 for shellfish.
The recipes are presented in an easy-to-read style. Nearly all are contained within a single page and include a complete list of ingredients in one column and numbered step-by-step instructions in an adjacent column. A descriptive introduction is included under the title of each dish and suggestions for substitution ingredients is offered at the end. They've even gone the extra step of alphabetizing the order of recipes by type of fish.
With all this said, if this book could just help me to keep from having most of my grilled catfish filets left clinging stubbornly to the grill grate it would be well worth its price. The authors respond to the challenge with guidance on what type of fire is best for each cut and type of fish to help prevent this problem. Now that we've cleared that hurdle, let's try something more challenging!
The recipes allow for a growing confidence like mine. "Salsa Catfish" is the familiar grilled fish with your favorite salsa added. "Mahimahi with Kiwi Sauce" goes a step further by involving a fresh fruit puree. These are getting so easy now that even "Provencal Grilled Tuna with Sauce Remoulade" sounds doable! Now brimming with this new knowledge, it's time to move to the grilled shellfish chapter. A few recipes for lobster look interesting and then comes a surprise - "Grilled Baby Octopus". I didn't even know octopus was a shellfish, let alone that you could grill it. Nonetheless, Adler and Fertig make this task look easy, even supplying a reference on how to clean octopus.
The chapters on smoking offer up selections like "Apple Cider Smoked Trout with Horseradish Cream" and "Smoky Shrimp Quesadillas". This is looking easier all the time. Maybe it's about time I made a return visit to that seafood counter.
The first chapter of Part III offers a wide variety of rubs, marinades, sauces and the like. Some of these recipes are familiar, but there are plenty of new ideas for tastes that perform their best with seafood. The authors finish strong with a chapter on sides that don't necessarily involve seafood as ingredients but rather serve as great complements to seafood dishes.
So now I am ready to tackle whatever the fishmonger has to offer - grouper, sea bass, tilapia, halibut, monkfish or salmon. I know I can handle any or all with this book on my shelf. But now I have another problem: what do I do with this 50-pound bag of cornmeal fish breading that I have in my cupboard?
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