Hook, Line, and Supper

Cookbook by: Hank Shaw

“Think of this book as a codex, a master class on fish and seafood cookery. It will enable you to develop your own recipes that suit your time, your place, your season, and your taste,” Hank Shaw.

My parents both grew up near the water, my Dad in New Orleans and my Mom in both Maine and Florida. Growing up we spent a lot of time near the water. I learned to fish as a kid but don’t do it very often anymore. Hook, Line, and Super drew my attention earlier this year and I was so excited to finally try these seafood recipes.

The cookbook offers so much information on how to know your fish and prepare it, plus a ton of great recipes. I still have memories of being outback my Nana’s house gutting fish we had just caught outback (see lived off an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida), Hook, Line, and Supper makes me want to relive those days.

Beer-Battered Fish

After living in London for a semester in college, I have been on a never ending search for the perfect fried fish recipe and this is the closet I have come to it. This recipe was very simple to make, although you must remember the batter has to rest in the fridge for twenty minutes.

The batter wasn’t super thick but it coated the fish nicely. I chose a nice cod to use for the recipe. It surprised me by how crispy the fish turned out. Plus it stayed really warm when we put it on the table to serve, so even when someone picked up a second serving and cut in to it you could still see the steam. I would definitely make this recipe again. Next time I want to try it with halibut, if I can find it for less than $40/lb.

Simple Sauteed Shrimp

Shrimp has been on the menu on a regular basis in my family for as long as I can remember. Normally we make boiled shrimp but I am always up for trying a new recipe. The recipe calls for a chili pepper to be thinly sliced, since I didn’t want it to be too hot I took out the ribs and seeds.

Somehow I got some oil on the glass cooktop and had a little flare up as I began to cook the shrimp. We just turned off the heat and switched the pan out and everything went fine the second try. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to split the shrimp into two batches. I loved the flavor of the garlic with the shrimp.

I did cook the shrimp with the shells on and next time I will try it with the shells off just to see if there is any difference in the flavor. This is a great recipe and not too spicy.

Overall Hook, Line, and Supper is a great cookbook. I love how Hank Shaw goes into so much detail about the types of fish and how to prepare them. The recipes offer lots of different ways to tame a craving for seafood. I can’t wait to try the shrimp mac and cheese.