by Hank Shaw
H&H Books, May 2021
New Techniques and Master Recipes for Everything Caught in Lakes, Rivers and Streams, and at Sea
If you’re into the hunting, fishing, and foraging lifestyle, chances are you’re already familiar with Hank Shaw. If you’re not, I highly recommend you add his books to your cookbook collection. Hunt, Gather, Cook and Buck, Buck, Moose (two of Shaw’s earlier books) are staples in my kitchen. Hook, Line, and Supper is Shaw’s most recent release, and his first book to focus exclusively on fish and seafood cookery.
Although there are many wild game and fish chefs these days, few of them bring the same level of care and expertise that Shaw does. Let’s just say that his repertoire extends far beyond the venison meatloaf and dove-breast poppers recipes that are favorites among some wild food cooks. In much of outdoor media, cooking can feel almost like an afterthought or a chore to attend to now that the fun part is over with. When reading Shaw’s books, the opposite feels true. I always come away from them reminded that thoughtfully preparing and eating my catch (and hopefully sharing it with others) was, after all, the purpose of my day of fishing (or hunting).
Hook, Line, and Supper is first and foremost a good fish and seafood cookbook. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshwater angler, shellfish collector, or a frequent-flyer at your local fish monger; this book offers many new ideas and cooking techniques. Fish can be intimidating to cook. Overcooked fish is not a pleasant meal, and undercooked fish is no less off-putting (although more dangerous). It’s no accident that in professional kitchens only the most senior cooks work the fish station. (I’ll admit that during my stint as a line cook, I messed up more fillets – mostly trout – than all my other mistakes combined.)
A large part of what makes Hook, Line, and Supper unique, of course, is its focus on wild-caught fish. Most seafood cookbooks don’t have a section on filleting pike or cutting the bloodlines out of a catfish. Shaw, however, embraces these details. In fact, there’s an entire section on preparing your catch, starting with a guts-in, scales-on fish and ending with cleaned, trimmed, and de-boned fillets.
As Shaw explains in the book’s preface, Hook, Line, and Supper is “a different kind of cookbook,” one that’s largely composed of “techniques and methods.” Whereas many cookbooks only provide you with instructions for individual recipes, Shaw spends much of his time explaining the various methods of seafood cookery. In fact, this approach largely structures the book. Each chapter deals with a different technique, including steaming, frying, sauteing, and so on. There are, of course, plenty of recipes as well, ranging from a simple (but delicious) fish sandwich to a catfish court bouillon.
Hook, Line, and Supper is a cookbook that serious anglers should not be without. The book is sure to introduce anglers to new cooking methods for familiar fish, as well as to elicit ideas for preparing and enjoying fish they normally toss back. Perhaps most important, though, after reading Hook, Line, and Supper, anglers will be inspired to fish and cook more than they already do, which to my mind is always a good thing.