From James Beard Award–winning chef and author John Ash, The Hog Island Book of Fish & Seafood takes a comprehensive dive into the world of cooking shellfish, crustaceans, finned fish, and many more.

Featuring favorites from the kitchens of Hog Island Oyster Bars and other talented chefs who have embraced the company’s sustainability ethos, this authoritative compendium showcases over 250 dishes from cuisines around the world, including regional favorites like San Francisco cioppino, Southern crayfish étouffée, and New England clam chowder. Presenting a wide variety of cooking methods—such as steaming, roasting, grilling, pan-frying, curing—along with illustrated techniques like shucking oysters, opening clams, and filleting fish, this comprehensive cookbook will guide you through the basics of seafood preparation. And the extensive list of sauces, butters, and seasonings will help you turn your choice of seafood into a stellar dish. The Hog Island Book of Fish & Seafood is a master class from an award-winning chef who shows home and professional cooks how to bring culinary gifts from the water to the table at their peak of perfection.

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My thoughts

I will state right off that I do not eat seafood. I have never gotten the taste of it. However, I have several in my home that do eat seafood, so I am always trying to find new recipes that they will enjoy or even have the meat swapped out for chicken or pork.

I have scoured through the book and do love the layout. It is sorted by type of seafood, and each section includes how to clean or prepare for cooking, along with the recipes. So if you are looking for a crab or salmon dish, there is a whole section just waiting to be explored.

The recipes don’t seem to call for too outlandish ingredients. However, I did find one pizza recipe that had clams in the shell on it. That seemed a bit bizarre to me, but I’m sure it is a dish that many will enjoy. There is a salmon recipe with a seared corn sauce that I bet would taste good on chicken too.

If you enjoy all kinds of seafood, I think this is a cookbook you would enjoy!

Now for a recipe from the book.

Grilled Tilapia with Herb Sabayon

1 c dry white wine
1/2 c minced shallots
1 tsp white wine vinegar
4 large egg yolks
3 T water
2 T finely chopped fresh tarragon
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
Four 7-8 oz tilapia fillets
2 T canola oil
Fresh tarragon sprigs, for garnish

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Brush the grill grates clean.

In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the wine, shallots, and the vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about six minutes. Remove from the heat. Use now, or set aside for up to 4 hours.

In a medium metal bowl, whisk the egg yolks and water together. Set the bowl over a saucepan with about 4 inches of barely simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Whisk constantly until the mixture is light and foamy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the reserved wine reduction and the chopped tarragon and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm over the hot water in the saucepan.

Brush the fish with oil and sprinkle generously with salt and upper. Place on the grill and cook until slightly charred and just barely opaque in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to warm plates, spoon the warm sabayon over the fish, garnish with tarragon sprigs, and serve immediately.

Serves 4