SEAFOOD SIMPLE by Eric Ripert

5 stars

Eric Ripert, one of the world’s most accomplished chefs and head of the three Michelon Star French restaurant LeBernadin, demystifies cooking seafood for home chefs. Eric moves from raw and cured to myriad preparation variations: steamed, poached, fried, baked, sauteed, broiled, grilled and preserved. He aims to take cooking seafood from a daunting task for home cooks to a fun, fail-proof adventure. He goes through all the basic with easy-to-understand instructions and detailed illustrations: from deboning and filleting a fish to removing the skin from a fillet.

He emphasizes finding the freshest of ingredients, and what to look for in seafood from sealed shut clams to translucent white fish. Interestingly, Eric recommends only using white pepper with fish, and sprinkling both salt and pepper with your hand 6 inches away from the fish. Talk about a flourish!

Eric also serves up some savory more sophisticated recipes from Tuna Carpaccio with Ginger-Lime Mayonaise to Salmon Poke with furikake seasoning to Calamari with Remoulade Sauce.

He elegantly accomplishes his key goal: to turn a kitchen task perceived as complicated and messy to a breeze for every level of home cook. Merci Eric and bon appetit!

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.