Hunt - Fish market: a cookbook for selecting and preparing seafood

2013 by Kathy Hunt
Illustrations 2013 by Mariko Jesse

Published by Running Press, A Member of the Perseus Books Group
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012955885

E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-4826-5

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

Cover and interior design by Amanda Richmond
Edited by Geoffrey Stone
Typography: Edmond Sans, Lomba, and Janda Elegant Handwriting

Running Press Book Publishers
2300 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371

Visit us on the web!
www.runningpresscooks.com

for Sean
and the late
Clifford R. Williams

Contents

M any thanks to Vince Smith, Kathy McGowan, Brande Plotnick, Rob Plotnick, and Van Morgan for their culinary prowess, enthusiasm, and feedback. They are all masters of the kitchen.

Additionally, I must thank Sharon Burke, Jason and Rachelle Hafer, Tom and Laura Ransom, Kirsten Van Vlandren, Tim and Gaye Freeman, Fred Greenspoon, Lisa Hancock, and Gwyneth Turner for bravely sampling my test dishes.

I am indebted to my agent, Sharon Bowers of the Miller Agency, and Running Press editor Kristin Green Wiewora for choosing to work with me and to designer Amanda Richmond for her beautiful work. Without them there would be no Fish Market.

I owe a special thanks to food historian and cookbook author Francine Segan. She helped a journalist who loved cooking and travel become a journalist who writes about her loves.

Had it not been for food aficionado and fishing buddy Frank Wilmer, I may never have known the joys of eating wild mushrooms plucked directly from the forest floor or of filleting my own fish. Hes helped shape the knowledge and palate of this former suburban kid.

For decades Vasiliki Kolovos has shared her wisdom and recipes. A former restaurant owner, her cooking in general and kourabiedes cookies in particular are among my fondest food memories.

Similarly, Elizabeth Theisen has encouraged and inspired me in the kitchen. She, along with Christina Brazier, Patricia Jones, and Luong Vo, helped to fuel my passion for cooking.

Ive been fortunate to have a tight-knit group of childhood friends rooting for me throughout my life and writing career. Among them I must single out Marilee Morrow, Nickie Kolovos, and Amy Lambo Hawthorne. Each uniquely aided me in seeing this book come to fruition.

Likewise, Sean Dippold has played an invaluable role. Friend, husband, proofreader, kitchen assistant, global adventurer, daring dining companionhe does it all with good humor, patience, love, and grace. My gratitude to him is boundless.

While my late parents, Patricia and William Hunt, taught me how to discern between good and bad cooking, it was my late uncle Clifford R. Williams who imparted the pleasures of eating. The earliest supporter of both my writing and my experiments in the kitchen, Cliff embraced all foods but especially those shared with family and friends. I live and cook by his example.

D epending upon our backgrounds and where we live, most of us eat only a smattering of fish and shellfish. Until I moved away from my hometown outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and started seriously traveling and cooking, that certainly was the case for me. With no fishermen in my family, we ate what was available at our local markets and stuck to the seafood that my mother and her mother before her had cookedcod, flounder, haddock, tuna, and the occasional salmon loaf or cake.

Restaurants provided me with my first taste of more exotic seafood. At the age of nine I discovered clam fritters, followed shortly thereafter by linguine with clam sauce. These became my go-to meals whenever my family dined out. They also made me wonder what other unusual, tasty seafood was swimming about.

Meeting people, making new friends, and being invited to special events similarly broadened my horizons. At an Italian-American friends Feast of the Seven Fishes I tried my first sweet squid. At another friends parents cocktail party the preteen me snuck in a salty bite of salmon roe. Novel and exciting, they were a far cry from the fish found in my familys kitchen.

Travel additionally expanded my palate. How could I visit New Orleans and not have crayfish or spend a week in the Florida Keys and not try conch? I couldnt and didnt. My attitude regarding seafoodand food in generalwas to eat as the locals did. In Brussels I had mussels. In Cambodia I ate snakehead fish. In every region and country I tried what was to me a new fish.

Cooking brought all of these experiences together. Through classes, cookbooks, handwritten recipes, and attempts to replicate others dishes I established a firm culinary foundation in seafood. I likewise became a passionate proponent of eating fish and shellfish.

I think that a better question might be, Why not seafood? Low in fat and high in nutrients, seafood is a regular source of protein for me, and health authorities seem to agree with that habit. The latest U.S. dietary guidelines advise Americans to consume twice as much fish as they currently do to reduce the risk of heart disease. Its advice not to be taken lightly. Research has shown that eating two (three-ounce) servings of fish per week lessens the likelihood of dying from heart disease by 36 percent. Studies have also indicated that increased seafood consumption may lower the occurrence of strokes, depression, Alzheimers disease, and even cancer.

What makes fish and shellfish so magical is their richness in omega-3 fatty acids. Especially common in fatty, deep-water fish, these acids are known to lower bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein levels, which contribute to cardiovascular disease. Omega-3s may also increase good cholesterol or high-density lipoproteins, which help transport cholesterol through the bloodstream. Thats nothing to sneeze at.

Beyond nutrition and healthfulness, seafood offers an alternative to consuming factory-farmed animals. Too often industrialized cows, pigs, and chickens live their short lives in appalling conditions. They lack room to roam, graze, and, in some instances, even breathe. Such is not the case with fish and shellfish. Whether puttering about in the ocean, rivers, or man-made ponds or lakes, they retain their intended lifestyles and exist relatively cruelty-free. If, like me, youre concerned about animal welfare but you dont want to give up eating all animal proteins, you can keep seafood in your diet without much guilt. (Of course, sustainability and freshness are important factors to consider: read more about both on .)