When trying to cook a new dish, it is often helpful to have a recipe that you can follow step-by-step. It can be difficult to determine which recipes are worth trying with seafood because so many different kinds of fish have their own unique flavors.
Fish may also be a little more challenging to cook, making finding recipes that will turn out well a bit more complicated. With the best seafood cookbooks, however, you can have the perfect reference guide to prepare seafood dishes that are healthy and easy to make.
Looking for a seafood cookbook that stands out? If yes, you’re in luck. We’ve compiled some of the most popular and resourceful options. This roundup guide will provide information on the top seven seafood cookbooks so you can decide which is suitable for your needs.
7 Best Seafood Cookbooks Reviews
And here we now have the 7 best seafood cookbooks in the market. We’ve carefully chosen each one to ensure that they are easy to use, useful for many recipes, and provide high value. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by a large number of seafood cookbooks in the market, this list of seven is all you need to narrow down to a perfect fit.
1. The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook: Salmon, Crab, Oysters, and More by Naomi Tomky
Naomi Tomky is a published cookbook author with several books to her name. This particular seafood cookbook focuses on recipes from the Northwest regions, including the Puget Sound, the Olympic Peninsula and other parts of Washington.
The Northwest is such a hotbed of seafood because of the diverse community and clean waters. The four main groups that inhabit the areas include the Japanese, Chinese, Scandinavian and Filipino. The result is a mixed culture that uses the best of what the sea has to offer and combines it with exciting ingredients.
The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook is the author’s way of letting the readers explore this cuisine. She kicks it off with a buying guide explaining how to buy nice-tasting seafood that’s sustainable and healthy. In this guide, you’ll discover several kinds of seafood like oysters and halibut, as well as other unpopular options like smelts and lingcod.
The cookbook is split into various sections, including fish and shellfish recipes. More precisely, the 75 recipes are an embodiment of the present-day Northwestern people. These include Pink Scallop Ceviche, Red Curry Mussels, Dungeness Crab Deviled Eggs, and IPA-Battered Cod, to name a few.
Naomi then talks about the salmon, touching on flavor and adaptability. She also discusses how to make your own salmon jerky and grill, cure, and bake salmon. Afraid of pin bones? Learn how the expert cook extracts them from freshly cooked or steamed fish.
If you find mussel heads quite a taste to remove, you’ll not be that same person after going through the cookbook. She also discusses packing flavors in prawns, shrimps and razor clams.
If you are a foodie looking for the goofproof seafood experience, get your hands on The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook. It has recipes to help you achieve a superior culinary experience in an easy to use format.
The cookbook is not entirely Naomi’s making. She includes other recipes and tips from names like Jason Stratton, Mutsuko Soma, Shiro Kashiba, Tom Douglas, John Sundstrom, and Bonnie Morales.
What we like:
- Easy to follow recipes for absolute beginners
- 75 fully illustrated recipes with photographs
- Includes tips on buying the best seafood
- Available in both Kindle and Hardcover versions
2. Foolproof Fish: Modern Recipes for Everyone, Everywhere edited by America’s Test Kitchen
Anyone who has read a cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen can tell you that you are always guaranteed a great meal. This is true with the Foolproof Fish cookbook, where every recipe has been tested rigorously.
What’s also interesting is the diversity of recipes packed in this small book. There are recipes for fish like mackerel, red snapper, and grouper. There are also recipes for seafood such as scallops, shrimps and squid, among others. The book also includes a ton of vegetarian recipes.
All these recipes come with step-by-step instructions to help you prepare and cook successfully. Even more interesting is that substitution information for every recipe has been included. This means that you could swap out items like jalapenos and basil for other ingredients and still get a great result. The same applies to individual seafood types, including fish.
The book introduces you to buying quality fish and addresses as many fish varieties as you can think of. Do you know that by cooking shrimp, you need to devein it? The cookbook has everything under the sun for you, even the tips and tricks for handling fish.
The book is available in both Kindle and Paperback versions, which you can buy easily online.
The 384-page cookbook is also generous enough to go deeper into preparing soups and stews as well as appetizers to go along with the seafood for an entire weeknight meal. If you have guests who love seafood, you won’t have to worry about your deficient skills; this book promises to take you from novice to expert, provided you study it in advance and avail all the ingredients or their substitutes in time.
What we like:
- A book that has been repeatedly tested for good results
- Includes a wide range of recipes from appetizers to dessert
- Sufficient detail on fish and shellfish types as well as preparation instructions.
- The cookbook also includes ingredient substitutions if you don’t have an item in stock.
- Available in both Kindle and hardcover versions
3. Essential Seafood Cookbook: Classic Recipes Made Simple by Terri Dien and (foreword by) Mia Chambers.
What would you expect when an author like Terri Dien teams up with a celebrated chef like Mia Chambers? A cookbook like the Essential Seafood Cookbook, of course! The book has cooking instructions that take you through everything from setting up your kitchen to selecting the ingredients, storing it to cooking.
The book is based on the philosophy of eating what’s fresh and available locally seasonally, so you’re bound to find innovative recipes. Equally important is that there’s no compromise on taste even though the recipes employ only local ingredients. Although it’s not a huge volume, rest assured that you can experience restaurant-quality dishes right from your home kitchen.
The cookbook details cooking instruction in a step-by-step manner, employing the classic ingredients and modern ones, with fresh fish as the main ingredient. Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the book gives different cooking methods, including pan-roasting and poaching.
Looking for tips for choosing and preserving various kinds of seafood? The book has everything from West Coast oysters to a fish cutlet. The focus is on sustainable seafood to feel good about buying and eating.
The book’s other exciting things are the 75 tasty recipes with health benefits information, substitution information, and the dedicated buying guide. While the substitution information allows you to adjust the recipes, the buying guide, on the other hand, give insights into buying sustainable seafood.
Get this book and take your seafood game a notch higher, in less than 200 pages.
What we like:
- The book comes with a preface from a celebrated chef, Mia Chambers.
- Includes tips on buying and preserving seafood.
- Innovative recipes based on what’s fresh and available locally.
- Detailed cooking instructions to help you prepare the dish right.
- The cookbook is available in hardcover and Kindle versions.
4. The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think by Josh Niland
The Whole Fish Cookbook is one of those books that might change how you think about seafood. Sure, it offers various tasty seafood recipes, but what makes this book so special is its emphasis on sustainable food. Besides being dubbed the most impressive chef in his generation y Jamie Oliver, the author Josh Niland is also a campaigner for sustainable food. Still, The Whole Fish Cookbook is Yottam Ottolenghi’s favorite book of all time.
Other accomplishments that this book has achieved are Two James Beard awards (2020) under the restaurant and professional categories, the André Simon Food Book Award (2019), and The Australian Book Industry Association’s Illustrated Book of the Year (2020). Alone, these are sufficient justification that this is a masterpiece for anyone interested in cooking fish.
This book focuses on one animal, and that’s fish, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to get just essential recipes – just the opposite. If you’re searching for healthy, innovative seafood dishes that are packed with taste, The Whole Fish Cookbook is just what you need for your mission.
The recipe book covers all steps, from buying the fish (which is de-boned) to cooking it, serving it and finalizing with your own touch. If you are more inclined to do the entire prep work, Josh takes you through the sourcing to butchering before explaining dry-ageing and curing in a simple language that anyone can understand.
The author covers all types of fish, from the most popular ones, including trout, salmon, and sea bass, to the lesser-known ones such as the New Zealand blue cod, Fish Cassoulet, Roast Fish Bone Marrow, and sea perch. By doing so, Josh can demonstrate how your fish is both complex and unique and deserve the same awe as meat.
The fantastic work is covered in 60+ recipes that immediately destroy the long tradition of just fish fillet. This is one of the best seafood cookbooks available on the market right now.
What we like:
- The book contains elegant illustrations to accompany the delicious recipes.
- Presents several recipes that you can easily combine and create your own meal.
- Provides tips on how to butcher, age and cure the fish you’re cooking.
- Provide an in-depth buying guide on seafood.
- The cookbook is available in hardcover and Kindle versions.
5. Provincetown Seafood Cookbook by Howard Mitcham and introduced by Anthony Bourdain
Howard Mitcham isn’t just a pro in the seafood cooking industry but also an expert on Provincetown. His knowledge of this small fishing town allowed him to become one of the most influential authors.
Provincetown Seafood Cookbook is one of the works that illustrate Mitchman’s passion for seafood. The author has been described as Cape Cod’s finest chef, as acclaimed by Antony in the new introduction.
As you know, Provincetown is regarded as the capital of seafood in the world. Although other bigger cities like Boston, San Diego, Gloucester and New Bedford have a more enormous supply, they only supply the canneries. At the same time, Provincetown is responsible for the world’s gourmet fish!
The book offers delightful and delectable recipes based on classic seafood recipes. The book contains six sections which cover the traditional (fish chowder, fish cakes), the creative (seafood pizza) and the rare (Fennel and orange salad, ahi tuna with seared vegetables).
The cookbook also talks about the town’s famous fishing fleet and notable inhabitants like John J. Glaspie, dubbed Lord Protector of the Quahaugs! You also learn about the fish and shellfish that command the Cape Cod waters.
If you wonder what recipes interest you most, you’ll be glad to try out some like Lobster Fra Diavolo, Zarzuela, Cape Cod Gumbo, Provincetown Paella. There are a couple of other Creole, Portuguese and Cape Cod best fish/seafood varieties.
Get yourself a Kindle or paperback copy of Provincetown Seafood Cookbook, and you’ll be able to enjoy a stroll into a city that never sleeps, all from the comfort of your kitchen!
What we like:
- The recipe book is easy to follow and features many recipes.
- Provides history of Provincetown and its inhabitants.
- Comes with an introduction by Anthony Bourdain.
- Authored by one of the best chefs in Provincetown.
- Available in both print and Kindle versions.
6. The Big 10 Fish & Seafood Cookbook: 10 Seafood, 80 Recipes, 240 Variations by Terri Dien
Are you looking for an easy to follow cookbook with gourmet results? Then The Big 10 Fish & Seafood Cookbook will prove not only to be an excellent read but also a significant investment.
Terri Dien is one of the leading experts when it comes to seafood, and she delivers endless cooking possibilities surrounding the 10 most popular fish varieties.
The cookbook offers you an unlimited supply of low saturated fat options, in case beef ar poultry makes you uncomfortable. As one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, get to learn the creative ways of incorporating seafood in your diet while making it taste gourmet every time!
The book contains 80 delicious recipes that will help you prepare simple and inviting meals and break free from your only two or three recipes. And if you are adventurous like me, the additional 240 variations of the same recipes will give some more ideas to try out.
Apart from the readers, favorites like Fire Roasted Salmon with herbs, and Spicy Tuna Poke, Terri walks you through buying seafood sustainably and provides tips on when to use canned, fresh and frozen fish.
What we like:
- Offers 80 easy to follow recipes and 240 variations.
- Has an excellent introduction that’s easy to understand.
- Provides tips on buying seafood and sustainable practices.
- All ingredients are readily available in grocery stores.
- Has instruction on when to use seafood in different states, i.e. frozen, canned or fresh.
7. Eventide: Recipes for Clambakes, Oysters, Lobster Rolls, and More from a Modern Maine Seafood Shack by Arlin Smith, Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley, and Sam Hiersteiner
Eventide is a modern seafood restaurant that rose to fame within six months of opening. The cookbook, named after the restaurant, takes you from a novice to a seafood expert courtesy of the 120 recipes included in the book.
The cookbook has recipes that will intrigue your taste buds, with coastal dishes incorporating southern Maine ingredients. Notably, Maine is the center for the world’s best shellfish.
Eventide restaurant is a James Beard Award-winning establishment. The owner, Arlin Smith brought his expertise in writing this recipe book.
The cookbook uses experimental yet improvised and thoughtful recipes that brings you the best taste of coastal Maine. If you have heard of the down east cooking style, this cookbook is your ticket to enjoying it at home.
The most popular among the 120 recipes shared in the 272-page book include Tempura Smelts with Spicy Tzatziki, Smoked Shellfish, Brown Butter Lobster Roll on a Bao Bun, Tuna Tartare with Ramen Crackers, New England Clam Chowder with Homemade Saltines, and Oysters with Kimchi Ice to name a few. These are arguably the standard recipes that every seafood enthusiast should strive to master
What we like:
- The cookbook is an innovative and eclectic recipe book.
- Co-authored by four acclaimed seafood chefs.
- All recipes are easy to follow and accompanied with beautiful illustrations.
- The cookbook has over 120 recipes from a famed seafood restaurant, Eventide.
- Most recipes are simple to make yet taste exquisite.
- Includes a list of suppliers and resources for seafood, preparation guides, and intriguing Mine floodways stories to break the monotony of reading instructions.
Pro tips to making the most out of the best seafood cookbooks
Before you explore the recipes, it’s always good to know how to make the best use of your cookbook investment, just like you need to know how to ride and maintain a bike before purchasing one.
Here are a few things to think about to make sure you get the best from your seafood cookbooks:
Know what you want from a seafood cookbook
Understanding what you want from your seafood cookbook is important. What do you want recipes for? Are you looking for seafood cookbooks with healthy meals, or are you searching for recipes to help you lose weight? Are you interested in specific kinds of seafood, or do you just want a collection of everything? Knowing what you’re looking for will help you in decision making.
2. Make sure you can get ingredients from local stores
If you want to make seafood, it’s a good idea to know that the ingredients will be easy to find. Fish and other seafood can often be difficult to find; especially if the recipe calls for fresh fish. If you’re unable to find ingredients for the dish, it is useless to try and use the recipe, for the results will be far from the expected.
Do you have the passion and know-how to cook?
Some seafood recipes can be a little complex than others. If you don’t have the time or patience to cook, or just not that good at it, then the seafood cookbook may not yield the desired results. Ensure you are ready to put in the effort and time needed to make a seafood dish come out correctly, and you won’t be disappointed.
Keep in mind that some recipes will turn out better than others.
Just like you can’t expect every recipe to come out perfectly, you cannot assume that every seafood cookbook will provide perfect results. Cookbooks have both simple, straightforward recipes with more complicated steps. If you want a cookbook that will help you make the best seafood possible, find something with various options to choose from.
Find what works best for you.
There are a lot of seafood cookbooks In the market, but not every one of them will be right for you. Some authors are better at teaching beginners, while others excel for more experienced chefs. In addition, some cookbooks emphasize healthy ingredients, while others are focused on seafood that is faster to prepare. The better you define what kind of recipes you want, the easier it will be to choose and use a seafood cookbook.
Take advantage of user reviews.
Some seafood cookbooks have hundreds of positive reviews on online stores like Amazon. Use these reviews to understand the market sentiments and determine which seafood cookbooks are more likely to meet your needs. You are more likely to know the experience of a recipe book from users than from the description on the marketplace page.
Best Seafood Cookbooks Buying Guide
Buying the fittest seafood cookbook is not as straightforward as just reading the descriptions; you need to know what makes a recipe book great. The following considerations will guide you into making an informed decision, so you won’t have to stash your first cookbook in the drawer to buy another one:
i. Style
Although this is a matter of personal preference, the writing style of a cookbook matters a lot. Are they narratives that go line by line with you as you read? Are they complex recipes with lengthy procedures? Or are they simple instructions that will take the stress out of cooking and allow you to spend more time eating?
ii. Photography
Seafood is not just about the taste. There’s a visual aspect to seafood cooking that is important to consider. A seafood cookbook should have pictures that appeal to the senses and create a sense of anticipation in your mind.
iii. Content
This applies to all cookbooks but is more important for seafood cookbooks. The recipes included in the book should serve a purpose and be practical to your everyday life. It’s also highly beneficial if the cookbook consists of tips, guides and diverse seafood recipes.
iv. Authority
This is a significant point of consideration when embarking on a quest to find the best seafood cookbook. Look at the author’s profile; are they accomplished in this field? Do they have years of experience that qualifies them to write a seafood cookbook? What is their style like when writing recipes? If possible, read some of their work to get an idea.
v. Price
You will need to compromise on this factor, especially if you are just starting out. There is no good seafood cookbook that comes at $10; although it’s possible to find great cookbooks at that price, cheap is mostly not the best.
Final Words
If you want to cook delicious seafood dishes but don’t know where or how to begin, the best seafood cookbook for your needs may not be what you think. The above seven picks, alongside considerations, will guide you into making an informed decision when selecting a fitting recipe book.
Good luck as you usher in seafood cookbook bliss.
