Description

An account of the fish and shellfish harvested around the coast, where to buy it and how to cook it and eat it. This will be for many readers an eye-opener in the richness and variety of the country’s seafood. Starting from his home in the west country, Stein travels the length of a coastline “of matchless beauty”, talking to fishermen, suppliers and cooks.  Each regional section contains a choice selection of Stein recipes, some local, some modified, some unapologetically foreign, all expertly crafted (of course) and delicious, all designed to show off the superlative quality of the seafood. Representative highlights might include Gurnard Fillets with a Potato, Garlic and Saffron Broth, Split Herrings with a Caper and Fresh Tomato Salsa, Seafood and White Bean Cassoulet with Salt Cod, Garlic and Toulouse Sausage, and the exquisitely simple Halibut Poached in Olive Oil with Cucumber and Dill. Regional listings of seafood restaurants, fish and chip establishments, fishmongers, seafood suppliers and smokers add further value to this very classy productionRick (and Chalky his trusty dog) discover great dishes and small delicacies amongst the tidal estuaries, shingle banks and rocky shores of Britain. Rick travels from the bleak Suffolk coast where fishermen scrape a living catching cod to the wild, clear waters of Scotlands lochs bringing back an abundance of stories and imaginative, colourful recipes. This  is organised geographically with each chapter covering one of the regions featured in the series. Rick describes the fish-catching and fish-eating traditions of each area as well as details of the local life, legends and literature. He singles out local delicacies and includes six to eight recipes per chapter. Each chapter is illustrated with stunning food and landscape photography and ends with an area map and a guide to a small selection of the best hotels, restaurants, pubs and specialist suppliers (including information on extra locations, not featured in the series). Just as I do in the restaurant to keep ahead of the game, I look for the best suppliers, the freshest fish and who catches them. In a way, this is what this series is about, the fish I love, for all sorts of reasons not just taste or fashion where they come from and the people who catch them and the best way to cook them. As a result of looking around the country for the best seafood, its turned out to be a love affair with the changing coastline of Great Britain and Ireland and the business of going to sea in small boats to catch the freshest prime fish we have. Rick Stein