Having been a partner in a commercial fishing business for forty years I really welcome cookery books, programmes and discussions that promote the best approach to catching, cooking and presenting our health giving, wholesome heritage on a plate. With my husband and son both working professional skipper/owners of their own netting vessels here in Cornwall; we are always delighted to see that chefs are still showing there's more to life than cod in parsley sauce, fish and chips, supermarket salmon and prawns. The ethos of a friendly, up to the minute, young, easy approach to fish cookery demonstrated here is brilliantly inspirational.
The Fishy Fishy cookbook is attractively bound, substantial in feel, and produced in a sensible 220 x270 mm size. The dust jacket is gorgeous, showing a patchwork of colourful fishing boats (always photogenic) also samphire and sole, chips and fishy Burgers, mussels, sardines, lobsters, line caught cod and bass together with a print of prawns, seared scallops with a baguette and fillets of red gurnard with tempting salads.
With access to so much fresh fish I still prefer to serve it and eat it relatively unadulterated. The taste of the sea rather than a sauce seems most desirable. To me it seems a small crime to serve a lobster swimming in cheese, mustard, cream, tarragon garlic, paprika and wine, as in their Lobster Thermidor recipe. And a bit sixties to be honest. Cod with Champ and Kale looks more like a dish to aspire to cook. Useful accompaniments that are often a mystery yet simple when explained all add to the value of the book. The scattering of delicious Puds is almost superfluous unless this is your only cookbook.
Much tosh is talked about sustainability; the rules altering with the day, so please take aboard that the smaller vessels of the fleeting fleet are sound and careful, hoping to pass on the profession to the next generation. Genuinely taking care to guard rather than exploit. The price of fish includes brave men's lives and that should never be forgotten or belittled.
Off my soapbox and into the book, yes, it's stimulating to look at and offers the cooking and eating of fresh fish as a pleasure. I think it will sit very well alongside Rick Stein who has become the patron saint of fishermen, down here anyway.
Well done to James, Dermot and Paul for taking their enterprise forward and publishing a great haul of recipes netted together with an informative back story and useful info to set the aspiring fish cook on the way to impressive and memorable treats.