A Different Kettle of Fish: Traditional Seafood Recipes from "Down East" Kitchens

Judy Inouye was Co-ordinator of Technical Services at the Learning Resources Centre, Fraser Valley College, Abbotsford, B.C.

This small, spiralbound volume is a collection of recipes gathered from contributors throughout the province of Nova Scotia. The editor does not provide information on the contributors nor on how the recipes were selected for inclusion, and the unevenness of the collection leads one to suspect that all recipes submitted found their way into this book. Recipes range from the totally mundane based on tinned ingredients and of no particular regional character (tuna casserole made with tinned cream soup and tinned tuna!) to the unusual and interesting that one would not readily find on bookstore or library shelves; fortunately, the latter far outnumber the former.

Featuring local seafood, the book contains, among others, 14 recipes for lobster, numerous recipes for salt cod, Digby scallop, and even a recipe for stewing eel. If you ever wanted to prepare planked salmon in the traditional Micmac manner and didn’t know how, this book provides the answer to your problem. Recipes cover most courses from appetizers, soups, casseroles, salads, sandwiches to main courses. Colourful illustrations of Nova Scotia scenes depicting the habitat and gathering of fish and shellfish and interesting bits of information on Nova Scotia geography, fishery, and seafood preparation intersperse the recipes. The small size and spiral binding make this book convenient to use in the kitchen. The recipes are well laid out on the page and are clear and easy to follow. A helpful hints section and an index by principal ingredient round out this volume.

Despite the inclusion of some recipes of questionable value, overall, this is an appealing book which should provide some interesting culinary and gustatory experiences.