If there was an award for seafood book title of all time it would surely go to Isaac Cronin’s The International Squid Cookbook. Without doubt, if you’re searching for squid recipes then this is the book for you.
Best squid recipes cookbook in the world
If you’re serious about wanting to cook better squid then buy this delightful little book of more than 50 squid recipes. You don’t really need to read the rest of this review. It’s as simple as that.
‘This book is dedicated to the millions of people around the world for whom squid is already a culinary delight…’ writes Cronin. His passion is immediately evident. You get the feeling he wants everyone to discover squid as a culinary delight.
Cronin is the perfect candidate to champion that cause. A former squid fisherman himself, he opens the book with a chapter on ‘Everything you ever wanted to know about squid’. When ‘Cronin’ writes ‘everything’, he means it. There’s an illustrated explanation on how to clean squid, advice on buying squid, nutritional facts about squid, how to freeze squid, different words for squid, how to stuff squid ….
Enjoy Squid
Cronin’s aim is to, ‘help the initiate who has enjoyed squid in a restaurant but has never prepared it at home and provide encouragement for the squid enthusiast looking for new pleasures.’
He succeeds on both fronts. This book is an absolute joy. And this is all before we even get to more than 50 Squid recipes, sourced from the ‘great cuisines of the world’, American, European and Asian.
The Squid recipe names take the reader on a mouth-watering worldwide tour – Squid parmigiana, Squid San Jose, Squid Marseillaise, Black bean sauce squid, Squid curried in coconut milk…
Perhaps the most intriguing recipe is Squid Biscayan. ‘Definitely a recipe for the confirmed squid lover looking for a new thrill,’ writes Cronin. That’ll be me then!
Love Squid
Cronin writes with such a gentle hand it makes you believe that you can do anything…..with squid that is. His advice is clear and to the point, and he comes out with a few gems. On Squid San Jose, ‘This recipe was given to me by a friend from San Jose, California – thus its name’.
Isaac Cronin’s masterstroke is that he’s aware you’re going to be a bit fearful, uncertain and lacking confidence when it comes to cooking squid.
However, he doesn’t lead you by the hand offering condescending pats on the head. You simply get given great advice. He demystifies not just squid, but cooking in general. He wants you to succeed. And of course, he wants you to love squid too. By the time you finish the book, you will.
The International Squid Cookbook
Has our review of The International Squid Cookbook inspired you to give squid a go? Buy the book TODAY on Amazon here!