Fish: Know it, Cook it, Eat it

14th June 2023

On this Sustainable Gastronomy Day (18 June), treat yourself to a healthy portion of fish − and fish culture!

Macedonian eel à la Struga, you ask? Well, it’s a claypot dish in which the fish is half steamed, half roast for a moreish, garlic-infused stickiness. And Fish: Know it, cook it, eat it! is likely the first international cookbook that tells you how to make it. But the book also tells you about the eel’s enduring mystery; its habits; its nutritional qualities and sustainability in the wild; or, indeed, about Sigmund Freud’s early attempt to detect the animal’s genitals (spoiler: it has none).

In a voyage through dozens of species and countries, Fish – the first book of its kind to come out of the UN’s agency for food and agriculture, FAO – presents recipes in their economic and cultural contexts. Its premise is simple, yet so far absent from cooking literature: namely, that as well as a pleasure to indulge, fish is an asset in the global fight for food security. The opening pages take the reader through matters related to trade, ocean governance, and instruments designed to enshrine sustainability. The good stuff too is not quite standard fare. Recipes here don’t start in the kitchen: they start at the fishmonger’s stall, with tips on avoiding the blight that is fish fraud. Recipes from five international chefs complete the book's gastronomic offer, while “interviews” with fish form a playful counterpoint to human arrogance in the face of nature and animals.

Fish: Know it, cook it, eat it! has been featured at the Frankfurt, London, Kuala Lumpur and Beijing Book Fairs, and distinguished at Sweden's Gourmand Awards.

 The book is available to order here.

If you wanted to view some of the recipes in the book, please visit the YouTube collection here : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzp5NgJ2-dK6ZYFPbVfyCGIzqc7pY6wP9