"Go Fish" by AL Brown

Posted: 11/01/2010 6:40:04 a.m.

Al Brown brings us his debut solo effort Go Fish. Foodies may have heard of him through his eponymous restaurant Logan Brown (Cuisine Restaurant of the year 2009 and a Wellington icon), and his TV series “Hunger for the Wild.”



Go Fish published by Random House is Al Brown’s take into the world of Kaimoana from New Zealand’s coast. My initial reaction to this book is one of respect and admiration for Al doesn’t just write a cook book, he instils in the reader his passion for a natural resource that needs close attention and management.



Forthright in his views and open to sharing his knowledge this is a well known foodie celeb who wants to share and please. The food is real, clever and concentrates on simplicity and flavour. Kieran Scott has captured the imagery utilising natural light and showing the food in its true glory; I like that, no magic lighting or tricks. Foodies, rest assured that what you make will resemble what is shown in this book, not something you can say for all cooking tomes. To quote Al “the recipes in this book are all very approachable. I love straightforward, uncomplicated food where the emphasis is on using first-class ingredients, cooking them correctly and serving generous portions that eat well.”



Go Fish is a book catering to all skill levels, with a constant theme running through the book of the use of lesser known species which are commonly used as fish bait - Kawahai and Trevally come to mind. This is approachable food cooked for everyday eating, no molecular gastronomy techniques found here just simplicity and respect for the purity of flavour.



A medium format book at well over 300+ pages incorporating anecdotes and more than 90 recipes synonymous with our fishery. One issue, albeit minor, is I would have liked to have seen more recipes for trout (maybe not being a commercial catch could be the reason). It’s a very good read, with high design and amusing at times, through this book we found out a little about the man himself and the book jackets opening into a fish chart is a nice touch.



To get a good grasp of this seafood treatise have a look at these recipes Random House have kindly given us:



Roasted Whole Turbot with Green Olive & Caper Toasts:

http://www.foodie.co.nz/Recipes/Roasted-Whole-Turbot-with-Green-Olive---Caper-Toas.aspx



Fresh Kahawai with Chargrilled Zucchini, Beetroot & Black Olive Vinaigrette:

http://www.foodie.co.nz/Recipes/Fresh-Kahawai-with-Chargrilled-Zucchini,-Beetroot-.aspx



Pan-Fried Crispy Skate with Ponzu Sauce

http://www.foodie.co.nz/Recipes/Pan-Fried-Crispy-Skate-with--Ponzu-Sauce-from--Go-.aspx



Finally to show how real this book is and one that should be used often Al tested all these recipes on his old Atlas stove at this home in Lyall Bay, so foodies this book makes our definite buy list and one I think that will hold its worth in the future to come.



Published by http://www.randomhouse.co.nz