friederike's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
Werken met vis
By Bart van Olphen
Amsterdam Carrera - 2012
This is a brilliant book, the amount of information that is amassed in it, and the beauty with which it is presented is truly impressive. It'll tell you all about fishing regions, -techniques, seasons (did you know that fish and seafood have seasons, too?), and how to tell if the fish is still fresh. This is followed by an extensive overview of kinds of fish (and seafood) you'll be able to get in Europe, then a section over how to prepare the fish, including cleaning and netting, then cooking techniques with basic recipes, a section on sauces, and finally a few elaborate recipes. It's very similar to the books on seafood written by Alan Davidson, but possibly just more beautiful.
That said, I've noticed that I find it hard to choose a recipe from it - probably because may recipes feature several kinds of fish and seafood in one dish, and aren't really easy or quick dishes. So if you were considering this book because you'd like to incorporate more fish into your everyday menu, then move on.