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American Seafood: Heritage, Culture & Cookery From Sea to Shining Sea
"Barton Seaver's American Seafood is a comprehensive and inspirational exploration of lesser known species and rekindles an awareness of the people, places, and histories of our oceans." --Eric Ripert, Chef & Co-Owner of Le Bernardin
* 2018 IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD*
With the growing trend to reintroduce US-caught seafood into our culinary lexicon, this trustworthy reference from prestigious writer, chef, and sustainability advocate Barton Seaver will be the go-to source for home cooks, culinary students, professional chefs, and anyone fascinated by American food culture. American Seafood looks at maritime history, including Native American fisheries; fishing technology (including aquaculture); the effect of imports on our diet, economy, and the health of our seas; the biology of taste; and the evolution of seafood cuisine, from Pine Bark Stew, red and white chowder, Po' Boys, and Clam Bakes, to Baltimore Crab Cakes, Planked Salmon, Oysters Rockefeller, and Sushi. And although this is not a cookbook, Barton Seaver presents invaluable information on traditional culinary arts and his favorite ideas for taste pairings and preferred methods for cooking seafood. An index of species--with common, regional, and accepted names, all alphabetized--rounds out this must-have volume.
* 2018 IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD*
With the growing trend to reintroduce US-caught seafood into our culinary lexicon, this trustworthy reference from prestigious writer, chef, and sustainability advocate Barton Seaver will be the go-to source for home cooks, culinary students, professional chefs, and anyone fascinated by American food culture. American Seafood looks at maritime history, including Native American fisheries; fishing technology (including aquaculture); the effect of imports on our diet, economy, and the health of our seas; the biology of taste; and the evolution of seafood cuisine, from Pine Bark Stew, red and white chowder, Po' Boys, and Clam Bakes, to Baltimore Crab Cakes, Planked Salmon, Oysters Rockefeller, and Sushi. And although this is not a cookbook, Barton Seaver presents invaluable information on traditional culinary arts and his favorite ideas for taste pairings and preferred methods for cooking seafood. An index of species--with common, regional, and accepted names, all alphabetized--rounds out this must-have volume.
520 pages, Hardcover
Published November 7, 2017
5 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Barton Seaver
15 books6 followersBarton Seaver is a chef who has dedicated his career to restoring the relationship we have with our ocean. It is his belief that the choices we are making for dinner are directly impacting the ocean and its fragile ecosystems.
Seaver has manned the helm of some of Washington, D.C.’s most acclaimed restaurants. In doing so, he brought the idea of sustainable seafood to the nation’s capitol while earning Esquire magazine’s 2009 “Chef of the Year” status from acclaimed food writer John Mariani.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Seaver has cooked in cities all over America and the world. Having been bitten by the travel bug, Seaver found work in southern Spain at a small family restaurant. Their casual, ingredient-based cooking style would prove to be an important influence in his perception of food as an essential part of community. When the off-season arrived, Seaver hopped on a boat to Morocco and landed in the small seaside village of Essaouira. There, he took part in generations-old fishing methods, becoming a part of a community whose survival was directly linked to the oceans. This had a huge impact on his belief that sustainability is, at its root, not only an ecological matter, but also a humanitarian one.
While sustainability has largely been assigned to seafood and agriculture, Barton’s work expands far beyond the dining table to encompass socio-economic and cultural issues. Locally, he pursues solutions to these problems through D.C. Central Kitchen, an organization fighting hunger not with food, but with personal empowerment, job training, and life skills.
Barton has been lauded as a leader in sustainability by the Seafood Choices Alliance and was named a fellow with the Blue Ocean Institute. Barton has joined the board of Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment. Together with National Geographic, the Center is partnering with hospitals and health care providers in the Greater Boston area to educate them about healthier and more sustainable food service opportunities.
He is the author of For Cod And Country (Sterling, Spring 2011), a book of recipes that inspires ocean conservation through the experience that we all share—dinner. In addition, Barton is working on television and online shows that will engage consumers by telling stories everyone can relate to, whether they are preparing a meal or preparing to eat it.
Seaver has manned the helm of some of Washington, D.C.’s most acclaimed restaurants. In doing so, he brought the idea of sustainable seafood to the nation’s capitol while earning Esquire magazine’s 2009 “Chef of the Year” status from acclaimed food writer John Mariani.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Seaver has cooked in cities all over America and the world. Having been bitten by the travel bug, Seaver found work in southern Spain at a small family restaurant. Their casual, ingredient-based cooking style would prove to be an important influence in his perception of food as an essential part of community. When the off-season arrived, Seaver hopped on a boat to Morocco and landed in the small seaside village of Essaouira. There, he took part in generations-old fishing methods, becoming a part of a community whose survival was directly linked to the oceans. This had a huge impact on his belief that sustainability is, at its root, not only an ecological matter, but also a humanitarian one.
While sustainability has largely been assigned to seafood and agriculture, Barton’s work expands far beyond the dining table to encompass socio-economic and cultural issues. Locally, he pursues solutions to these problems through D.C. Central Kitchen, an organization fighting hunger not with food, but with personal empowerment, job training, and life skills.
Barton has been lauded as a leader in sustainability by the Seafood Choices Alliance and was named a fellow with the Blue Ocean Institute. Barton has joined the board of Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment. Together with National Geographic, the Center is partnering with hospitals and health care providers in the Greater Boston area to educate them about healthier and more sustainable food service opportunities.
He is the author of For Cod And Country (Sterling, Spring 2011), a book of recipes that inspires ocean conservation through the experience that we all share—dinner. In addition, Barton is working on television and online shows that will engage consumers by telling stories everyone can relate to, whether they are preparing a meal or preparing to eat it.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 5, 2018
Whoa. I was thinking that I'd get a ton of fish recipes. That is exactly what this book is not about. Although there are a few recipes, and they look good, the real treasure of this book is the detailed write-up of every single fish known to man. Well. Maybe not every single one, but pretty much. And it doesn't stop at fish. Every food from the sea is included, clams, shrimp, etc. including things I had never heard of but loved reading about. This book opened my world to what's in the sea. Amazing!
January 18, 2018
I didn't read the book cover to cover, as most of the book is a catalog of fish species in the United States. My goal in picking up the book was to learn more about where my food comes from. Seaver's knowledge, expertise, and passion for fish is evident right away on the dedication page.
A distinct message about our over-culture's eating habits are loud and clear. "If we are focused only on sustainable fishing, then we abdicate our responsibility to behave sustainably. It is not enough to demand sustainably produced seafood if we still expect to enjoy an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. If we expect too much from our oceans, we forfeit balance...We need to shift our baseline to ask for only what the oceans can provide and to accept the diversity it offers as our normal." pg.18.
I wish the book had more information on HOW to do these things, especially being located so far inland and removed from most seafood choices out here in colorful Colorado. But I'm glad I learned a little bit more about what and why certain choices were made for mass produced seafood in this country and I'm glad to be an education consumer as I try to further navigate my shopping choices.
A distinct message about our over-culture's eating habits are loud and clear. "If we are focused only on sustainable fishing, then we abdicate our responsibility to behave sustainably. It is not enough to demand sustainably produced seafood if we still expect to enjoy an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. If we expect too much from our oceans, we forfeit balance...We need to shift our baseline to ask for only what the oceans can provide and to accept the diversity it offers as our normal." pg.18.
I wish the book had more information on HOW to do these things, especially being located so far inland and removed from most seafood choices out here in colorful Colorado. But I'm glad I learned a little bit more about what and why certain choices were made for mass produced seafood in this country and I'm glad to be an education consumer as I try to further navigate my shopping choices.
November 29, 2019
This really is one of my favorite books, which is remarkable because I don’t usually read reference/ coffee table books. Seaver’s rich knowledge of seafood is remarkable. I loved the historical and cultural dimensions of the book that demonstrated how America was linked to the sea from her earliest days. As someone who loves to fish and appreciates sustainable and intentional food sourcing, I enjoyed reading about the fishing industry relative to the various fishes that were featured. And of course, the culinary inspiration left me eager to expand my horizons in the kitchen and on the table. The book would be very good even without the pictures, but the photos that grace the pages bring the whole thing to life in a remarkable way. I took so long to read this one because I took my time, savoring it, reading about one fish after another over the days and weeks.
January 27, 2018
Some very elegantly written essays about seafood and people working with seafood. A better version should include more pictures.
May 8, 2018
What a nice book. Great stories and pictures.
July 26, 2020
An extravagant encyclopedia of seafood and glossy photographs.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews