Dishes
With Fishes
Though the majority of seafood consumed in the United States comes from outside the country, there’s a movement toward sustainable, locally raised food from the brine. Barton Seaver’s American Seafood is a go-to reference that covers seafood history, fishing technology, the effect of imports on our diet and economy, and the biology of taste, among other topics. Included are such recipes as pine bark stew, red and white chowder, po’ boys, clambakes, Baltimore crab cakes, planked salmon, oysters Rockefeller and sushi. An index of species — with common, regional and accepted names — rounds out the detailed volume. ($29, Sterling Epicure)
Fantasy Fishing
Parker McPhee never knows what he will encounter on his next fishing expedition. Pushed by his dying father to stretch out and see the world, McPhee sets out to fish the planet, from the tropics to remote mountain trout streams. Charlie Levine’s novel Sucked Dry follows McPhee as he casts flies to tarpon, trolls for marlin off Mexico, catches roosterfish in Costa Rica, reels in striped bass and bluefish on Long Island Sound, and entices rainbow trout with dry flies. McPhee not only embarks on a boatload of adventure but connects the dots of his relationship with his father. ($13, Catchfire Books)
Princesses And Privateers
If you know anything about pirates, you likely are familiar with such names as Capt. Kidd, Blackbeard and Calico Jack. But have you ever heard of Grace O’Malley, Alfhild, Cheng I Sao or Rusla? These swashbuckling women commanded fleets, looted and pillaged ports, and terrorized shipping routes. In Pirate Women, Laura Sook Duncombe tells the stories of women who sailed alongside — and sometimes in command of — their male counterparts. She explores why and how these stories are passed down, and how history changes depending on who is recording it. Anyone curious about fascinating women largely lost to history should enjoy this book. ($19, Chicago Review Press)
This article originally appeared in the May 2018 issue.
