Or rather, we should say that Rick Moonen (along with co-author Roy Finamore) has written and published the seafood cookbook for home cooks in America. As Rick is fond of saying, just ten years ago (even less), the number of practical cookbooks for fish and shellfish cooking was practically non-existent.

In the past, well-known chef’s and famous restaurant’s fish cookbooks were about as practical for the home cook as a duck press.

Now, with the availability of FISH WITHOUT A DOUBT (Houghton Mifflin 2008), seafood lovers everywhere can learn about the world’s fishes, and learn to cook them at home with the confidence of a professional. The early pages of the book take their cues from Jacques Pepin’s La Technique and La Methode, right down to the black and white illustrative photos. From there you get a detailed glossary of the world’s available fish, with Moonen’s ever-present philosophy of ecological awareness permeating the descriptions, and then over three hundred pages of recipes that are unique for their simplicity and innovation (e.g. When’s the last time you read a professional chef advising how to use your George Foreman Grill for seafood…or anything for that matter?)

Of course, in ELV’s estimation, the most important page in the book is the first one (Acknowledgments) wherein ELV receives thanks for being one of the tasters and testers of the recipes for the book.

Three cheers to Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore for recognizing the superiority of ELV’s tastebuds!

And three cheers, kudos, molto grazie, merci beaucoup, muchos gracias, xie xie, and many many thanks to FISH WITHOUT A DOUBT for being the seafood cookbook American home cooks have been waiting for, forever.

Here are some pun-ny snaps of the press party and book signing event at RM Seafood in the Mandalay Bay earlier this week. A good ‘n tasty time was had by all.

RM Seafood

In the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino

3930 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Las Vegas, NV 89119

702.632.9300

www.rmseafood.com