Jane Grigson's Fish Book - Jane Grigson [1]
Bluefish & Pompano
Brill
Carp
Clams
Cod, Ling, Coley, Pollock, Pollack, etc.
Crabs
Eels & Elvers
Grey Mullet
Haddock
Hake & Silver Hake
Halibut
Herring
John Dory
Lobsters & Crawfish
Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Cero & King Mackerel
Monkfish or Angler-fish
Mussels
Oysters
Perch & Yellow Perch, Walleye, Zander & Fogas
Pike & Muskellunge or Pickerel
Prawns & Shrimps
Red Mullet
Salmon & Salmon Trout
Sardines & Pilchards
Scallops, Small & Large
Sea Bass, Sea Perch & Groupers
Sea Bream & Porgy
Sharks – Porbeagle, Mako & Tope
Sole, Dab & Plaice
Squid & Cuttlefish
Swordfish
Trout, Char, Grayling & Whitefish
Tuna or Tunny & Bonito
Turbot
Whitebait
Whiting
A Few Words About Other Fish & Crustaceans
Wind-dried or Wind-blown Fish
Fish Soups & Stews
Caviare & Other Hard Roes
Bibliography
Index
FOREWORD by Caroline Waldegrave
There are two cookery writers that most cooks put in a class of their own: Elizabeth David, sadly whom I never knew, and Jane Grigson, who I wished I’d known better. Jane was the queen of her subject and yet was completely unintimidating. She was clever, interesting and kind. She had a terrific sense of fun, a real love of life and an amazing sense of humour. Her laugh, which was sometimes a rather wicked giggle, was infectious. She always cheered everyone up.
Jane invited my husband and me to lunch with her at Broad Town after I’d only met her once, very briefly. I was nervous: I thought it would be like going to see the Headmistress, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Both William and I loved her on sight and didn’t want to leave.
I have always admired Jane, and am endlessly dipping into her books. Anything that I know that I find riveting about food has usually come from her. However, until I was most flatteringly asked to write the foreword to this book, I’d never sat down and read so much of her at one sweep. One thing I find interesting is that these days we all talk about the need for books to be user-friendly – but Jane invented all that years ago. The fascinating introductions to sections or recipes continually answer half-asked unspoken questions. None of the writing is contrived – so often in books you feel that the publisher has said to the author, can you write a ‘bit of an intro’. Not so with Jane.
The introductions in the Fish Book are a combination of fun and intellect. They are so alive that you can hear Jane telling you about Romesco peppers or the Marquis of Goulaine’s cook, Clémence. The recipes themselves assume a certain amount of basic knowledge but also give encouraging remarks like ‘don’t despair’ should the sauce curdle; she suggests some simple and effective remedies.
This book is filled with fascinating information. It is not written by someone who has simply researched the subject; it is written by someone who for twenty years or so lived the subject and must have kept copious notes. It is a timeless book. I do not believe it could ever be out of date as I doubt it was ever ‘in date’. It is a very generous book. Most of us forget from whose original recipe a new idea has been developed – but not Jane. She knows the history of the classic dishes and, although she has invented many new recipes herself, she constantly credits originators of recipes or stories. She is occasionally sharp with the reader. She remarks, for instance, that in 1826 a Mrs Johnston, writing on behalf of Meg Dods, noted that curried halibut is ‘good as long as you make up your own blend of spices’. Jane says that it ‘is rather daunting to think that, 160 years later, cookery writers are still saying the same thing. Are lazy practices eternal?’
Jane constantly flatters us – she assumes that we know so much more about poetry and history than probably many of us do. She is a great teacher because she gradually leads us in to new topics. And she writes so well that the book becomes almost unputdownable. The introduction to the section on eels makes one of the most charming stories I have read. If that sounds unlikely, read it. It begins with the discovery by the