My Cooking Class Seafood Basics: 86 Recipes Illustrated Step by Step

This no-frills book demystifies the practice of cooking seafood with 86 recipes, illustrated by photographs every step of the way. The author begins with information about how to steam, pan-fry, cook en papillote, and more, and then presents simple instructions for such dishes as salmon gravlax, sole à la meunière, tuna niçoise, and creamy seafood risotto. Even potentially intimidating dishes and techniques, like bouillabaisse, filleting a cooked round or flat fish, and salmon en croute feel totally approachable, thanks to the stark yet elegant photographs that accompany each recipe, showing all the ingredients and each technique. There’s a section on fast fish, including poached cod in olive oil that takes 20 minutes, start to finish, and fish en papillote, which is done in 10 to 11 minutes. Starters such as salt cod fritters and main courses like Spanish seafood paella round out this thorough seafood primer that would boost the confidence of most home cooks. (Sept.)