Go Fish

By Al Brown (Random House, RRP $65)

 

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As someone whose knowledge of fish is restricted to the sort that comes deep-fried in batter and wrapped in newspaper, reviewing this book was something of a challenge.

The author, Al Brown, is the chef and part-owner of the highly respected Wellington restaurant Logan Brown.

The first part of the book is based on his boyhood reminiscences of catching eels using binder twine wrapped round a piece of kindling wood, going fishing with his father and fishing as part of the quintessential Kiwi camping holiday at the beach. There is also a very informative section on kaimoana and the important place that the sea and its harvest hold in Maori culture.

The main part of the book is a fairly conventional seafood cook book with sections on crustaceans, shellfish and fin fish. In addition to the 90 diverse recipes, there are useful and well-illustrated sections on practical procedures such as filleting, "dealing to" crayfish and squid and shucking shellfish. I found the section on the pantry essentials for successful seafood cooking particularly useful. What sets this book apart from so many of its ilk, however, are Kieran Scott's photographs.

There are the familiar pictures of the immaculately presented dishes but there are also truly evocative photographs that make this a uniquely Kiwi book that will be equally at home on the coffee table as in the kitchen.

- © Fairfax NZ News