The Cannery: Seafood House Cookbook

Nikki Tate-Stratton writes children’s picture books and novels for
preteens. Her most recent novels are Jo’s Triumph, Raven’s Revenge,
and Tarragon Island. Her latest picture book is Grandparents’ Day.

The Cannery Seafood Restaurant is known in Vancouver for its sumptuous
dishes, views of the harbour and the North Shore mountains, and
excellent collection of fine wines. Its chef, Frédéric Couton, has
created this gorgeous cookbook for diners who would like to prepare some
of the restaurant’s dishes at home.

Couton dedicates several pages at the beginning of the book to the
selection of fresh fish and shellfish, cleaning and filleting fish,
shucking oysters, and cleaning shellfish. With these basic seafood
instructions out of the way, the recipes—many of which are illustrated
by high-quality food photography—begin. The recipes are grouped by
category: cold and hot appetizers, soups, fish and shellfish entrees,
meat, poultry, vegetarian entrees, desserts, and a final catch-all
chapter for stocks, vinaigrettes, coulis, and dessert sauces. A page of
special-occasion menus suggests recipe combinations that are perfect for
events like Mother’s Day, a summer buffet, or New Year’s Eve. A
comprehensive index makes it easy to find recipes by main ingredient.

In addition to the colour photographs of the food (beautifully plated
and artistically captured on film), black-and-white images of The
Cannery staff at work give a sense of what it’s like behind the
scenes. Each recipe is introduced by comments from the chef, and
detailed preparation instructions follow.

Not a cookbook for the beginner, Chef Couton’s clear prose supports
the home cook who is looking to try some new and exotic recipes. Whether
tackling Sautéed Prawns and Frog Legs with Parlsey-Garlic Cream Sauce
and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes or experimenting with dessert recipes
(such as Dark Chocolate Brownies with Roasted Nuts or Roasted Figs in
Port with Lavender and Honey Ice Cream), there are plenty of choices
here for fine dining fans. And, after the meal has been enjoyed, this
lovely volume will do double-duty as a coffee-table book, perfect for
visitors to thumb through while sipping their coffee.