American Seafood: Heritage, Culture & Cookery From Sea to Shining Sea

by Barton Seaver

Overview

"Part cookbook, part reference guide, Barton Seaver's American Seafood is a comprehensive and inspirational exploration of lesser known species and rekindles an awareness of the people, places, and histories of our oceans." —Eric Ripert, Chef & Co-Owner of Le Bernardin

Winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the US in the Fish and Seafood category!
A 2017 Nautilus Award Winner!

With the growing trend to reintroduce US-caught seafood into our culinary lexicon, this trustworthy reference from prestigious writer, chef, and sustainability advocate Barton Seaver will be the go-to source for home cooks, culinary students, professional chefs, and anyone fascinated by American food culture. American Seafood looks at maritime history, including Native American fisheries; fishing technology (including aquaculture); the effect of imports on our diet, economy, and the health of our seas; the biology of taste; and the evolution of seafood cuisine, from Pine Bark Stew, red and white chowder, Po’ Boys, and Clam Bakes, to Baltimore Crab Cakes, Planked Salmon, Oysters Rockefeller, and Sushi. And although this is not a cookbook, Barton Seaver presents invaluable information on traditional culinary arts and his favorite ideas for taste pairings and preferred methods for cooking seafood. An index of species—with common, regional, and accepted names, all alphabetized—rounds out this must-have volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454919407
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	412,020
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.80(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Barton Seaver, the author of Two If By Sea, For Cod & Country, and Where There’s Smoke (all Sterling Epicure), has established himself as the preeminent expert in sustainable seafood. Before leaving the restaurant industry to pursue his interests in sustainable food systems, he created three top restaurants in Washington, DC, and was named Chef of the Year by Esquire magazine in 2009. Seaver’s Washington, DC-based restaurant, Hook, was named by Bon Appétit as one of the top ten eco-friendly restaurants in America. Seaver was an explorer for the National Geographic Society and now works as the Director of the Healthy and Sustainable Seafood Program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The contributing seafood editor at Coastal Living magazine, he and his work have also been featured in The New York Times, Cooking Light, O: The Oprah Magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, the Washington Post, and Fortune, among many others. He has also appeared on CNN, NPR, and 20/20. Seaver was the host of the national television program In Search of Food on the Ovation Network and Eat: the History of Food on National Geographic TV.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/30/2017
Seaver (For Cod and Country), head of the sustainable seafood and health initiative at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard School of Public Health, has assembled a gorgeous illustrated encyclopedic survey of America’s evolving relationship with seafood. From abalone to wreckfish, Seaver details key characteristics of each fish, its place in culinary history, and common preparations: grouper, for example, are caught mostly in the Gulf of Mexico, and are an “all-purpose fish, as their pearly white meat cooperates with just about any flavors and methods of preparation.” Occasionally he suggests recipes for classic dishes such as lobster Newburg, cioppino stew, and seafood gumbo. Seaver offers accolades to the people in the fishing industry who help bring that food to the table, and the book is accordingly laced with gorgeous photos of fishers and their vessels, massive stacks of preserved halibut and fresh shrimp, and vintage advertisements and other fishing ephemera. “Seafood is part of our culinary heritage,” Seaver writes in the book’s introduction, and his argument that Americans can’t understand the present without knowledge of the past rings loud and clear in this remarkable work. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

This lavishly illustrated reference guide to edible sea creatures from American waters answers most every question about what shows up in U.S. fish markets and how it all got there. Seaver inventories fish and shellfish from Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf sources, and even the Great Lakes. He gives place of honor to fishermen themselves, noting the deadly dangers they confront in order to feed us. He also delves into fishing techniques, distinguishing the workings of all kinds of nets, trawls, and dredges. He even gets into cultural details, such as how African Americans came to dominate commercial fishing in some places. A few iconic recipes appear, such as cioppino and clam chowder. As if the text were not in and of itself valuable, Seaver has collected both contemporary and historical photos and drawings of fishing boats, fishermen, and even ads. Some of the most intriguing are posters from war years, propagandizing Americans to eat more fish in times of meat rationing.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Seaver (For Cod and Country), head of the sustainable seafood and health initiative at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard School of Public Health, has assembled a gorgeous illustrated encyclopedic survey of America’s evolving relationship with seafood. From abalone to wreckfish, Seaver details key characteristics of each fish, its place in culinary history, and common preparations: grouper, for example, are caught mostly in the Gulf of Mexico, and are an ‘all-purpose fish, as their pearly white meat cooperates with just about any flavors and methods of preparation.’ Occasionally he suggests recipes for classic dishes such as lobster Newburg, cioppino stew, and seafood gumbo. Seaver offers accolades to the people in the fishing industry who help bring that food to the table, and the book is accordingly laced with gorgeous photos of fishers and their vessels, massive stacks of preserved halibut and fresh shrimp, and vintage advertisements and other fishing ephemera. ‘Seafood is part of our culinary heritage,’ Seaver writes in the book’s introduction, and his argument that Americans can’t understand the present without knowledge of the past rings loud and clear in this remarkable work.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

12/01/2017
Part historical perspective, species guidebook, and photographic record, this title takes readers on a tour of U.S. ocean interactions, from the Pilgrim "codfish aristocracy" to a recipe for seafood gumbo. Seaver (Two if by Sea; For Cod and Country) offers readable narratives on everything from the "delightfully amusing" puffer to the flavor of well-prepared octopus. Historical photographs, vintage advertisements, and close-ups of fish and fishermen enhance the volume. About 15 recipes are included, along with many general cooking tips without step-by-step instructions. VERDICT A highly enjoyable browse for anyone interested in seafood and the sea.

Library Journal