(Part 2) Best fish & seafood cooking books according to redditors

> And I said most people in the US haven't eaten Buffalo.

Maybe not most, but there's a buffalo farm not 10 miles from here. They sell lean buffalo at the food co-op and at the farmer's markets.

Anyway, I have a cookbook you might like: Native Indian Wild Game, Fish, and Wild Foods Cookbook Used ones are cheap online. There's a couple different types of recipes in this book; exotic meats like porcupine, racoon, muskrat, groundhog, snapping turtle, etc. But there's a whole lot of recipes that if you saw them on a menu, your first thought would not be Native American cuisine: poached trout, pickeral soup, blackberry muffins, pumpkin soup, fish chowder, squash soup, shrimp and okra stew, cornbread, etc. They typically do not have much spice and tend to be bland. I look askance at one's that call for something non-traditional like oregano.

Hired as a....? Bartender?

The Connosseur's Gudie to Sushi is actually pretty comprehensive about types of fish, styles of sushi (nigiri, maki, chirashi) and origins, etc. If you can get past the condescending tone of the author.

Other than that, there's not a lot of good readable guides to all of sushi.

You have the technique right, but flounder is pretty delicate and takes better to baking or broiling. Try a firmer fish like tilapia, snapper, or striped bass. I highly recommend "Fish and Shellfish" by James Peterson for all things seafood.

https://www.amazon.com/Geography-Oysters-Connoisseurs-Oyster-America/dp/159691548X/ref=nodl_ this is a good one

The no-sushi-while-pregnant thing is mostly a myth. It drives me absolutely crazy -- expectant moms have enough to worry about already without having that particular joy snatched from them. I assure you, japanese women don't stop eating sushi when they're expecting.

There are two major concerns that cause paranoid doctors (and an even more paranoid mom-blaming media) to advise against sushi: mercury and parasites. With a little research you can figure out which fish to avoid.

Bluefin tuna would tend to have high mercury content. Fish that live a really long time and are near the top of the food chain are the ones to worry about.

Freshwater fish would tend to be more of a parasite risk, but a good sushi place would generally be careful to source clean fish. Generally, raw or cold-smoked salmon should probably be avoided.

Oh, and shellfish pose relatively more of a food-poisoning risk than other foods because you're eating all of their guts.

You're probably fine to eat short-lived ocean fish like mackerel. I believe yellowtail's pretty safe too. Unagi's cooked anyway, so go crazy. Scallops are quite safe because you're only eating the muscle (unlike other shellfish).

This is a really great resource that will help you balance concerns around mercury and getting adequate omega-3: http://www.amazon.ca/Fish-Forever-Understanding-Environmentally-Sustainable/dp/076458779X

(Everything I'm saying here is off the top of my head, so definitely double-check and don't bet your or your baby's health on my internet ranting!)

Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food is a great primer on the science of cooking. I read it in culinary school, and it was a great distillation of the main concepts (which cuts are of meat are good for braising, searing, roasting, etc. and how to properly perform each technique). If you end up enjoying Alton Brown's style, I would also recommend Fish on a First Name Basis for fish cookery. Lastly, Cook's Illustrated is a wonderful resource on food and cooking. The yearly online membership is only approx $25, and you get access to all previously published recipes and equipment reviews.

In terms of equipment, the knife I personally use is the Victorinox 10-inch chef knife. Japanese steel is great and all, but for the same price you could get this knife, a good electric knife sharpener, and a honing steel and still have some left over. The best knife is a sharp knife after all. I would also highly recommend a T-fal non-stick pan for a solid multi-purpose first pan.

Finally, for an herb garden, I generally try to aim for either expensive or infrequently used herbs for indoor gardening. The reasoning behind growing expensive herbs is pretty straightforward. I primarily grow infrequently used herbs to avoid wasting what I wouldn't use up when cooking (as you mentioned is oft a problem). In my region, basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, and oregano would all be good candidates to grow. Parsley, cilantro, and bay leaf tend to be cheaper at the market in my area, so I usually just purchase those.

I am so sorry I should have notated that recipe.
https://the1940sexperiment.com/2016/02/28/mock-banana-recipe-no-148/
This book: https://www.amazon.com/Well-Eat-Again-Marguerite-Patten/dp/0600325245
https://www.thedailymeal.com/best-recipes/have-your-ever-tried-mock-banana

In Sea and Smoke Wetzel has a recipe using sous vide for a Spot Prawn stock using blitzed prawn tails and shells ($$$ yikes!), and alludes to poaching some of the tails in butter at 158 on the stove, which they almost certainly do sous vide. Spot prawns are delicious but our recreational limit here is 60 per day, two days a year. Not sure I'd blender any of the tails just for stock...

Happiest this week... Probably getting to sit in the sun and just soak up the warmth. It's finally warm here and it feels absolutely wonderful!
My favorite food is sushi! I could probably eat it every day for a month and not get sick of it. sushi (for good measure)

Thingy!

If I had to get a cook book by any chef (excluding Julia Child) I think I would get this one. It has really great food in it and it isn't just one style. My friends always cook from it and my wife and I are always amazed at the results.

> Japan was still fetishised in a popular light, and just after the turn of the century it wouldn't have been at all uncommon for the average white American of means to engage in things like sushi parties.

I know this was a tangential point, and I checked out the link you provided on it, but is there any chance that the reports about the popularity of sushi are sensationalized at all (and the second wave in the 1960s more restricted to cosmopolitan elite ranks)? I mean, fetishization of Japan is done today as well, but I feel like the mass appeal of sushi is much more recent (perhaps a "third wave" of sushi popularity in the US?), maybe from the 1990s. Like, it's the difference between "I've had sushi (one time 3 years ago, that was cool)" vs "I had sushi last week. Let's get it again today." (Anecdotally, up to the 80s and 90s, I always thought (and found that) the average white American was grossed out at the thought of sushi if it ever came up in conversation.)

I never knew about the much older history of sushi's appearances in the US and find them interesting, but is there a danger of forgetting that a book like this was perhaps par for the average American's experience (and that came out as late as 2000). Again, I'm curious what you think about the difference between, "Yeah, I had sushi once a few years ago when my socialite friend organized a party," vs. "Yeah, I eat sushi 2-4 times a month." Of course, this could be more explained by some growth of logistical capability to supply cheaper sushi en masse instead of expensive standalone restaurants, so I should concede that.

I recommend this book on the subject (one chapter on bluefin tuna, very interesting look at fishery depletion) - http://www.amazon.com/Bottomfeeder-Ethically-World-Vanishing-Seafood/dp/1596916257/

Also!

The Fishmonger's Apprentice by Aliza Green

Forgot I had this book as well (I don't cook seafood as often as I should)

It's quite comprehensive in the way of preparation. I think this is more what you are looking for

Couple of my favs are:

Good Fish

Jerusalem

Cajun and Creole are honestly the best foods in the South. This guy mixes them all up with other traditional Southern cuisine. His cookbooks have loads more recipes and better ones in some cases.

http://www.jfolse.com/newfindrecipe.htm

Past that, Charleston Receipts, Charleston Receipts Repeats, 'Pon Top Edisto Cookin' 'Tweenst the Rivers, Sea Island Seasons, and Southern Living cookbooks were a staple in my house. Kind of still are really.

I'm by no means an expert, I've probably only made sushi about five times, but I started less than a year ago. However, based on my limited knowledge, I would highly recommend the book that helped me get started, Sushi: Taste and Technique.

The book helped me learn how to make rice, different types of rolls, nigiri, etc. It has many pleasant illustrative photographs of prepared sushi (and ingredients, recipe steps, etc.), and can serve as a mini "coffee table book." It also has a guide to many different types of fish and other toppings, which has been interesting to look through, but not as useful for me, since the store I go to only has a few types .

I've recently bought Washoku: Recipies from the Japanese Home Kitchen to supplement my sushi knowledge with other elements of Japanese cuisine (though the book covers sushi also). I haven't used it much yet, however, and although it also has very nice photographs, it has a far lower photograph-to-page ratio than the aforementioned book.

Maybe. I always thought it was gross because omg ew fish smell. But really, the shit you eat shouldn't have a strong fishy odor, just like with our vaginas, too much of that smell = something's rotten in denmark, ya dig?

Also make sure the person cooking/preparing it knows how to cook it. Cooking seafood isn't hard by any means, but you need to know how to tell when it's done and make sure it's not mushy.. because there's nothing worse than mushy fish on your tongue. My boyfriend bought me this book one year and it's great. It tells you everything you need to know about eating seafood, from buying it to cooking it.

As for starters, the Williams-Sonoma books are great collections of recipes in just about all categories... not always the easiest but they can start you out on the right path to making your own or altering recipes you can do..

Williams-sonoma books:

• Soups and Stews
  
• Salads
  
• Pasta
  
• Vegetables
  
• Soup
  
• Chicken
  
• Roasting
  
• Seafood
  
• Breakfast
  
  You can find all the rest of their books through those links, they have a ton, and a bunch of amazing recipes in them.. Most of their books also have great quality in the used form and some as low as .1 cent :D
  
  I have to agree with starting with Good Eats, it's a great base for ingredients and how to properly identify good ones and what to do with them. As well as Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cooking course on youtube:
  
  Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cooking Course season 1 episode 1
  
  ^ a great start for simple meals
  
  I collect cookbooks actually, and have a bunch of awesome recipes.. I made a homemade Tandoori chicken tonight, though i did not have the correct chili powder (kashmiri) it was delicious.. grilled a chicken up that i quartered and marinated for a bit. Delicious.. I also love Lebanese food and mostly all types of foreign foods.. I watch the Food Network quite regularly, as well as subscribe to quite a few youtube cooks..
  
  If there's anything you need to know feel free to ask :D

According to The Big Oyster (which is supposed to be about oysters but is mostly NYC history), Broadway was a pre-colonial trade route for oysters from lower Manhattan up to Yonkers on the Hudson and so accounts for Broadway's northwest vector.