More than just a cookbook, this beautifully produced volume in three parts promotes a total understanding of British fish, from their natural habitats to what sauce they go best with to how to respect their seasonality, in keeping with the River Cottage ethos. 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 followed by classic recipes from gravadlax to kedgeree, 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 2 with alternatives. "The River Cottage Fish Book" is the only book on fish that the adventurous fish lover will ever need. The ultimate guide to British fish that reveals everything from their natural habitats to cooking and preserving techniques to how to respect their seasonality.

2008-09-28 5 star fish all the way

Hugh is ace. I already had a flick through his Meat and can honestly say the combination of the Meat and Fish in my library is superb. I regularly find myself getting out Hugh's Meat and rustling up something special - you expect great things from his Meat, but fish is another kettle altogether. His intimate relations with the fish really come to the fore - heads, tails, gutting, frying, stuffing - he really loves the fish. I have to say that I hadn't really been into fish until my partner suggested I tried her red snapper - one taste of that on my lips and I was hooked. Regardless of the fish, it's the way it's prepared and presented that makes the difference. I like to see the fish laid bare, on a plate for me to really get my juices flowing. I like the way he approaches the fish from all angles - he is a true natural. My particaular favourite is fish fingers, something my partner particularly likes. She is also partial to battered fish however I prefer take it from a more obscure angle, and this is where I really come into my own. I like the way Hugh describes each section of the fish and gives his own 'personal' view if how to attack each piece - a real scale of achievement and hats of to Hugh - he rally pulls it off with aplomb. One of my favourites is the old stuffing of the big one - a trout. Faced with a large trout what do you do - Hugh certainly knows. Take the head, pull it off and ram in the load then roast to perfection. Excellent. My partner and I are really into fish now and a lot of this is thanks to hugh, giving us new ideas of the variety of fish and the parts of the fish - I really have to admit to liking a fish head, whereas my partner prefers the lower end and tail. I dare to say I like taking the tail too, however not as much as my partner. I have to say that if we had a fish each, she is rather selfish as she would take my tail but not return the favour and give me head.