An Eclectic Guide to the Buying, Cooking, Eating and Folklore of Shellfish
September 2, 2013
Canadian lifestyle writer Harris and author Taylor (Three Bricks Shy of a Load) join forces to create a mildly informative collection of forty standard shellfish recipes. Divided by type (lobster, crab, shrimp, prawns, and scampi), the duo dutifully describe each species, offering trivia (the abalone were one of the earliest forms of fish bait, Atlantic squid migrates hundreds of miles to spawn, etc.) in addition to a handful of well-known recipes for each featured ingredient. The real missed opportunity here is in creating an appetite on the part of the reader for the subject matter. Crabs, for example, vary wildly in terms of appearance and flavor, yet Harris and Taylor only offer this tidbit as an aside before moving on. Compounding this issue is the complete lack of photographs or, in almost all cases, descriptions of the featured dishes. Readers are left to imagine what makes Chinese radish worth seeking out in order to make Prawns with Green Chinese Radish or why Guinness makes Chef Chris McNulty's oyster soup so amazing. While instructions for cleaning crabs and shucking oysters are provided, images would certainly be more useful to readers. It adds up to a serviceable though unimpressive survey of a topic that's been done many times before.