The River Cottage book on fish

The first part is dedicated to understanding fish – Hugh and Nick explain the ins and outs of procuring a good fish, discussing fish farming, aquaculture, sustainability and harvesting issues, how to buy and catch fish in an ethical way, and how to prepare it for the kitchen.

Next they open up a whole world of fish cooking – pickling, salting, barbecuing, frying, potting, stewing, smoking and more are explained in depth. Each technique is followed by classic recipes, from gravadlax to kedgeree, and from sashimi to chip shop battered cod.

Finally, Hugh and Nick present Britain’s best fish by species, giving portraits with notes on seasonality and ecology, as well as listing the relevant recipes from part two with alternatives.

The River Cottage Fish Book, by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Nick Fisher, is published by Bloomsbury, price £30