Mediterranean Seafood

This isthe essential book about the cookery as well as zoology of the fish and shellfish that inhabit the Mediterranean (including the Black Sea). It has translated into more than a dozen languages. It combines natural history and cookery in a most enticing way, providing information for the fisherman and seafood enthusiast as well as for the cook. Its genesis was endearingly domestic — while the author, in his diplomatic career, was posted to the British Embassy in Tunis, his wife needed an overview of the local fish markets to plan her shopping. It turned out to be Davidson's first book, and once taken up with enthusiasm by Elizabeth David it became required reading.

The book is split between a catalogue, with drawings and description close to 200 species, together with cookery notes and any information that might put it in context; and a section of 200 recipes which draws on the best methods of cooking these types of fish from the many countries best acquainted with them. There is a full index and bibliography. The writing is matchless: exact, yet humorous; learned, yet light. It is one of the most inspirational cookery books to have been written in the last 60 years. In an era where the Mediterranean is being over-fished and some 14 species are critically endangered, now is the time to know both what to avoid at the market, and what you can continue to enjoy (and how to cook them).

The book was first published in 1972 by Penguin and reissued by Prospect in 2012.