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Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood
A unique cookbook and guide to healthful, eco-friendly seafood Few people know more about fish than Paul Johnson, whose Monterey Fish Market in San Francisco supplies seafood to some of the nation's most celebrated chefs, from Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Michael Mina to Todd English, Daniel Boulud, and Alain Ducasse. In Fish Forever, Johnson offers a cookbook for anyone who loves fish, but worries about overfishing, contaminants like mercury, and other serious health and ecological issues. Fish Forever reveals which species of fish you should and shouldn't eat, based on how endangered, contaminated, and tasty they are. Plus, Johnson includes amazing recipes from around the world that take advantage of those most abundant and delicious types of fish. Fish Forever is a must-have kitchen resource for seafood lovers—and Earth lovers—everywhere.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Paul Johnson
4 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
PAUL JOHNSON is the owner of San Francisco's Monterey Fish Market, which he founded in 1979. A former chef himself, he supplies fish to chefs such as Alice Waters and Thomas Keller and serves on the advisory board of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program.
PAUL JOHNSON is the owner of San Francisco's Monterey Fish Market, which he founded in 1979. A former chef himself, he supplies fish to chefs such as Alice Waters and Thomas Keller and serves on the advisory board of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 6, 2020
I appreciate how this book goes over which fish and sea creatures are safe and ethical to eat and which are less.
August 16, 2011
In addition to being a cookbook, this book tells about eating seafood safely and sustainably. Author Paul Johnson owns Monterey Seafood, supplier to the Bay Area’s finest restaurants. Previously he was a chef at Chez Panisse in San Francisco, alongside the celebrated Alice Waters. He is uniquely suited to discuss topics from selecting seafood to sustainable fisheries practices to seafood health hazards to creative cookery. This book covers seafood caught on the US East and West Coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, and beyond.
The book begins with a brief overview of how to select, store, and cook seafood, including how to clean and fillet a fish and recipes for making fish stocks. A chart of seasonal availability of individual seafoods follows. Next the author launches into an alphabetical fish and shellfish guide from Anchovy to Wreckfish. Each seafood is discussed in terms of sustainability, health benefits and detriments, and preparation methods. One or two recipes, always with suggestions for accompanying dishes (and sometimes their recipes) follow. Johnson indicates in each recipe which other fish can be substituted.
The Health Appendix shows charts of levels of omega 3 fatty acids (good) and mercury (bad) associated with specific species. There’s a thorough discussion of other seafood hazards, how to avoid them, and who is most susceptible.
I found this guide interesting and worth owning. I like the recipes, though they're not simple. They are complex, unusual and delicious, and require ample preparation time, as befits a chef. As Johnson points out, the fisheries industry is constantly changing--so it’s hard to know how long this information will be current. I object to at least one of his premises—-that it’s okay to eat Rockfish, sustainably speaking, if they are caught by hook and line. Still, he encourages consumers to use his information to make their own choices.
The book begins with a brief overview of how to select, store, and cook seafood, including how to clean and fillet a fish and recipes for making fish stocks. A chart of seasonal availability of individual seafoods follows. Next the author launches into an alphabetical fish and shellfish guide from Anchovy to Wreckfish. Each seafood is discussed in terms of sustainability, health benefits and detriments, and preparation methods. One or two recipes, always with suggestions for accompanying dishes (and sometimes their recipes) follow. Johnson indicates in each recipe which other fish can be substituted.
The Health Appendix shows charts of levels of omega 3 fatty acids (good) and mercury (bad) associated with specific species. There’s a thorough discussion of other seafood hazards, how to avoid them, and who is most susceptible.
I found this guide interesting and worth owning. I like the recipes, though they're not simple. They are complex, unusual and delicious, and require ample preparation time, as befits a chef. As Johnson points out, the fisheries industry is constantly changing--so it’s hard to know how long this information will be current. I object to at least one of his premises—-that it’s okay to eat Rockfish, sustainably speaking, if they are caught by hook and line. Still, he encourages consumers to use his information to make their own choices.
May 19, 2010
Despite all the health-positive press that seafood gets, there are multiple reasons it might not make frequent appearances on your dinner table. There’s the question of toxins, concerns about overharvesting and, finally, the plain old challenge of how to cook fish properly. This outstanding cookbook and guide by master fishmonger and former chef Paul Johnson helps you tackle all three problems at once.
Alphabetized by species, from anchovy to wreckfish, each scaly subject is accompanied by key information about its safety and sustainability, as well as two or three truly mouthwatering recipes. More of a guide to choosing wisely than a “green list,” Fish Forever covers the details of what makes a fish healthy for consumption: Short-lived fish don’t have time to accumulate many toxins, hook-and-line-caught fish don’t incur by-catch, fish with rapid rates of reproduction are harder to overfish, and so on — all of which helps you ask smarter questions at the fish counter.
The range of fish covered here also helps you expand your fish repertoire — another ocean-friendly strategy to offset overharvesting. This information-packed guide is an essential addition to any conscious cook’s collection.
Alphabetized by species, from anchovy to wreckfish, each scaly subject is accompanied by key information about its safety and sustainability, as well as two or three truly mouthwatering recipes. More of a guide to choosing wisely than a “green list,” Fish Forever covers the details of what makes a fish healthy for consumption: Short-lived fish don’t have time to accumulate many toxins, hook-and-line-caught fish don’t incur by-catch, fish with rapid rates of reproduction are harder to overfish, and so on — all of which helps you ask smarter questions at the fish counter.
The range of fish covered here also helps you expand your fish repertoire — another ocean-friendly strategy to offset overharvesting. This information-packed guide is an essential addition to any conscious cook’s collection.
March 28, 2009
I was introduced to Paul Johnson's "fish bible" when it won the IACP Cookbook of the Year award last year in New Orleans, and I must say, it's deserving of the award. Johnson covers the realities of fishing in today's environment and offers choices that consumers can feel good about. After covering basics like selecting and storing fish, he moves into cooking basics, sustainability issues, health issues, tools and then a plethora of information an recipes for everything from Anchovies to Wreckfish (with no less than 50 fish in between). This is a reference guide as much as a cookbook, and one you'll be happy to have on your shelves.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews