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| THE
FISHY FISHY COOKBOOK |
BOOK
REVIEW |
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To
order a copy of The Fishy Fishy Cookbook <click
here>
 “Well
designed, well written and beautifully illustrated.”
Fishy Fishy is a relaxed, informal seafood brasserie
in Brighton that was the brainchild of three close friends:
James Ginzler, Dermot O'Leary and Paul Shovlin. They
share a passion for good food, but more importantly
food that has been locally sourced and is in season.
They work closely with suppliers to make sure the fish
they serve is caught in the least wasteful way which
can mean line-caught fish, pot-caught seafood or fish
caught in gill nets with big holes in them so they only
catch the larger fish and let the small ones through.
They only serve fish and seafood when it is in season
- that is why there's no cod on the menu in the summer
or lobster in the winter.
“A great addition to any fish lover's kitchen.”
All their passion and expertise is contained in this
lovely new cookbook which has over 90 recipes, as well
as fascinating fish facts and plenty of advice on how
to prepare and cook fish. With chapters on Starters,
Barbecue & Alfresco Eating, Everyday Fish &
Shellfish, Special Occasions, Sauces, Side Dishes &
Desserts, there is plenty of inspiration for cooks of
all levels. More than just a restaurant cookbook, this
is a wonderful collection of recipes as well as a timely
look at the ways we should be sourcing and eating fish.
“There are recipes suitable for all capabilitie
. . . with plenty of useful information on the fish
and helpful advice.”
The Foreword to the book is writen by Dermot O'Leary,
radio and TV presenter, best known as the X Factor frontman.
He lives in London and along with friends James and
Paul is passionate about fish and seafood. Opening a
restaurant was a long-held dream that has finally come
to fruition and Fishy Fishy now has an established following
and is regularly booked up in advance. They have just
opened a second restaurant in Poole. This is their first
book.
. . . and you must try the mushy peas?
- More
than a cookbook - SJ Hughes (Amazon review)
This is a bright colourful book full of ideas and
recipes for all things fishy. It starts with an introduction
and forward that explain some of the principals behind
the book, one being that the fish used should be managed
and local to the UK. Fresh fish caught with a line
and served up on the same day has a superior taste
to frozen fish. There is a section on how to buy fish
and what to look for, how to ask and where to buy,
moving on to how to prepare the fish
The
next chapters deal with fish recipes which at first
glance assume that you have knowledge of trimmings
and salads, etc but don't be put off these are all
explained at the back of the book with a whole section
on sauces, side dishes and desserts.
Quick
glances through the book will I am sure impress and
you will certainly find something to appeal to even
the fussiest of appetites. My favourite was the Skate
wings which is a great favourite.
Most
recipes have full colour photographs and as such make
the whole experience even more mouth-watering. This
is definitely a book for me - as well as a lot of
the recipes in the book.
- Lovely
Fish Cookbook - Sue C (Amazon review)
This is a beautifully presented book, with gorgeous
photography of the finished dishes. The recipes are
mostly the sort of meals you would cook on a day to
day basis, with a final chapter on more elaborate,
dinner party style recipes. If you want a really useful
reference book which covers lots of different types
of fish, then this is the book for you.
- Let's
the seafood do the talking - J Milton (Amazon
review)
Overall, this is a great seafood cookbook. The seafood
and other ingredients for each recipe can be easily
sourced from any decent supermarket and/or fishmonger
and are limited, in most recipes, to less than 10
ingredients, which not only allows for most of these
dishes to be whipped up relatively quickly, but also,
more importantly, lets the seafood be the star.
- Fish-tastic
- Mal Page (Amazon review)
The recipes are simple, appetizing and unpretentious.
Most people who have any interest in cooking whatsoever
could find the majority of ingredients in their store
cupboards and freezers. Inexperienced cooks will find
the hints and tips very useful, such as cooking a
pastry pie lid separately to avoid the filling boiling
up and making the underside soggy.
Many
recipes come with numerous variations so a technique,
once learned, can be used over and over again without
boredom setting in. Examples include 3 ways with mussels
(Marinere, Thai, Provencal) and eggs (Benedict, Florentine
and Royale).
There
are a sprinkling of non-fish dishes, including a goat's
cheese tartlet and a variety of scrumptious desserts,
and I particularly enjoyed the interesting snippets
scattered throughout the book. For example, did you
know that clam chowder has been served at every US
president's inauguration since 1981?
THE
FISHY FISHY COOKBOOK SAMPLE RECIPES
CLASSIC FISH BURGERS
 Homemade
fish burgers are infinitely superior to the shop bought
variety and are very quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
600 g line-caught pollock fillet (or any other white fish), skinned and boned
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon cornichons
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons chopped parsley flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ciabatta rolls, to serve
1 large tomato, sliced
few lettuce leaves
mayonnaise
How to make
- Dice the fish into 5-cm cubes, place in a food
processor and process to a rough purée. Transfer
the purée to a large mixing bowl. Put the
shallot, cornichons, capers, parsley and seasoning
in the food processor and purée until evenly
blended. Tip out and mix with the fish purée.
- With floured hands, shape the mixture into 6
burgers. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour to firm
up.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium
heat and fry the fishburgers, two at a time. Cook
for about 5 minutes on each side, or until nicely
browned. Take care not to overheat the pan or the
fishburgers will burn. Once cooked through and crispy
set aside and cook the remaining burgers. Serve
in a ciabatta roll with a slice of tomato, a lettuce
leaf and some mayonnaise.
Makes 6
QUICK CRAB, CHILLI AND BASIL
LINGUINI
 This
pasta dish can be prepared in minutes – for those
occasions when you are just too tired to cook an elaborate
meal but still want to serve something a little special
with minimal effort.
Ingredients
175 g dried linguini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chilli purée
1/2 teaspoon garlic purée
250 g white crab meat
100 ml white wine
50 g unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh basil, to garnish
How to make
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add
a good pinch of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
Add the linguini and cook for 10 minutes until just
al dente, tender but still firm to the bite. Drain
in a colander and then refresh under cold running
water – this will prevent the pasta from sticking.
This can be done a good few hours before needed.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and add
the chilli and garlic purées. Add the crab
meat, white wine, butter and seasoning and mix gently
to combine. Add the cooked linguini and stir to heat
through.
Serve in a large pasta bowl with torn basil leaves
sprinkled on top.
Note
The beauty of this dish is that the pasta can be
cooked beforehand, which is a great time-saver. If
you like more – or less – heat, increase
or reduce the amount of chilli purée.
Serves 6
TEMPURA OYSTERS WITH TOMATO
AND CHILLI JAM
 This
Japanese dish is a must for oyster lovers. The tomato
and chilli jam adds a note of heat which goes well
with the batter-coated oysters. We like to use the
large size 1 oysters but size 2 works just as well.
Ingredients
4 oysters, shucked and cleaned
flour, for dusting
oil, for deep-frying
tomato and chilli jam
For the tempura batter
50 g plain flour
50 g cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
200 ml ice-cold sparkling water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to make
- First make the tempura batter. Mix all the dry ingredients
in a bowl and add a pinch of salt and some black
pepper. Slowly mix in the icecold sparkling water
(the bubbles make the batter light), a little at
a time, until you have a smooth batter. It should
slowly come off the back of a tablespoon –
if it sticks add more water, if it runs off too
quickly it’s too thin. Transfer the batter
to a container and surround with ice to keep it
chilled.
- Rinse the oyster shells under running cold water
(do not use washingup liquid) and dry. Roll the
shucked oysters in some sifted flour.
- Dip two of the oysters in the batter and carefully
place in a deep-fat fryer on its hottest setting.
Alternatively, heat the oil in a large wok or pan.
It is hot enough when a cube of bread turns golden
in 30 seconds. You want the oysters to float, bubbling
on the surface, and crisp up.
After 20 – 30 seconds, depending on how hot
your oil is, the oysters should be crisp and brown.
Remove and place on some kitchen paper while you
repeat with the other two oysters.
- Place the battered oysters back in the shells and
serve with the tomato and chilli jam for dipping.
Serves 2
To
order a copy of The Fishy Fishy Cookbook
<click
here>
Published
16 August 2011
This
is a new format of book review from Hub-UK. The idea
is not to sing the praises of the book but to give you
the chance to judge for yourself what the book is like
by allowing you to glimpse some of the content. Obviously
we think the book is worth considering otherwise we
would not have published this page but the question
remains . . . is it your sort of book?
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