The River Cottage Fish Book

More than just a cookbook, this beautifully produced volume in three parts promotes a total understanding of British fish, from their natural habitats to what sauce they go best with to how to respect their seasonality, in keeping with the River Cottage ethos. The first part is dedicated to understanding fish - Hugh and Nick explain the ins and outs of procuring a good fish, discussing fish farming, aquaculture, sustainability and harvesting issues, how to buy and catch fish in an ethical way, and how to prepare it for the kitchen. Next they open up a whole world of fish cooking - pickling, salting, barbecuing, frying, potting, stewing, smoking and more are explained in depth, each technique followed by classic recipes from gravadlax to kedgeree, from sashimi to chip shop battered cod. Finally, Hugh and Nick present Britain's best fish by species, giving portraits with notes on seasonality and ecology, as well as listing the relevant recipes from part 2 with alternatives. "The River Cottage Fish Book" is the only book on fish that the adventurous fish lover will ever need. The ultimate guide to British fish that reveals everything from their natural habitats to cooking and preserving techniques to how to respect their seasonality.

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View books by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Nick Fisher.

Encyclopaedia and cookbook in one - Rated
Book is mostly aimed at people passionate about fish and cooking it and contains lots of information about fish, fishing practises etc. I personally was only looking for simple healthy recipes but I am still very happy with it. Was slightly disappointed with the number of recipes, however I love the description of each type of fish with comments on how best to cook this particular fish. With other cookbooks, you only have a dozen recipes for half a dozen types of fish, and are stuck if you have got anything that does not fit the list. Here, each recipe has suggestions on what other types of fish to use. And of course they know what they are talking about, it is all simple and elegant.

A Great book by a modern great. - Rated
This book contains everything you would ever need to know about seafood and a lot more. From how to open shell fish, how to fish for them, how to refrigerate/ freeze them. It is great as a reference book, but comes into its own as a cookbook.

Hugh is a magnificent chef some of the food I have cooked tasted amazing. With such simple recipes/ ingredients this book is a winner. Buy it now.

But make sure the fish is as fresh as possible and the fish is sustainabley caught

Thank you.

Not just a cookery book - Rated
I was impressed that this book goes much further than just fishy stories and recipes. It is a good read in its own right and the text would appeal to many people and not just those of us who want to make the most of the range of fish now on offer at the local fishmonger. It is very well written and easy to read and I found it really absorbing.

Just one thing, if you are of a certain age and need reading glasses you will definitely need them for this book. The text in this weighty tome is a tad on the small size.

Excellent - Rated
This really is a smashing book. Ms Green's review covers everything that you need to know about the contents of this fishy doorstopper, but it is also worth adding that the recipes themselves are both simple and hugely successful.

I've tried eight recipes to date with a range of seafood including bass, squid, mussels, mackerel and smoked fish and I would readily make them all again. Delicious.
Just be aware too that the recipes are, for the most part, quite 'English'. Though personally, who would hanker for lemongrass when there are such delights as mussels steamed in cider...

A thorough trawl - Rated
The first thing I couldn't help noticing about The River Cottage FISH book is how big and heavy it is - definitely not a book to take on a fishing trip but then that was probably never its intention.

Written by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the appropriately-named Nick Fisher, they have a clear view of its "nitty gritty". Apart from the "delightful activity of cooking and eating fish", FISH is about understanding the business of catching and preparing them. Once we readers achieve this we will, perforce, get even more pleasure.

Golly, FISH is comprehensive. One of its three sections, Understanding Fish, is divided into Fish as food; Sourcing fish; Fish skills; Shellfish skills. Within these, the authors deal with such diverse topics as Fish as brain food; Five rules for sustainable fish shopping; Fish to find; Fish to avoid; Fish prep kit...... and so on. A thorough trawl.

Recipes are a real catch. Helpfully grouped under such headings as Raw, salted and marinated; Baked and grilled; Fish thrift and standbys (for maximising ingredients and minimising waste) they cleverly organise you into deciding what - and how - you might want to cook. They're also extremely alluring - Simon Wheeler's photos see to that - and make you want to rush out, buy (from a sustainable source naturally) and cook. Roll on summer for a burst of Roasted whole plaice with cherry tomatoes. Meanwhile let's be content with FoodLovers featured recipes Crab Bread & Butter Pudding or Drunken Smollack Toasts - a fishy version of Welsh rarebit.