Simmering the Sea
Simmering the Sea: Diversifying Cookery to Sustain Our Fisheries is a cookbook collaboration by authors from Eating with the Ecosystem, Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts, and the University of RI Graduate School of Oceanography.
About Simmering the Sea
You’ve heard that variety is the spice of life, but did you know that eating a wide assortment of seafood can actually help sustain ocean ecosystems?
Simmering the Sea is an underwater culinary adventure where you will meet (and learn how to prepare) forty underappreciated fish and shellfish that populate the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Sample species as varied as the coastal slipper limpet to the deep-water Acadian redfish, while learning how each one contributes to a flourishing ecosystem in the sea. Produced through a partnership between the University of Rhode Island, the nonprofit Eating with the Ecosystem, and Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts, this is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind cookbook that can serve as your manual for a more intimate and balanced relationship with the marine ecosystems off New England’s shores.
Books available here
book tour
Visit us in person to obtain an autographed copy of Simmering the Sea and hear first-hand from the authors about the science that inspired this book. Attend one of our book talks to embark upon your own diversified seafood adventure! This schedule is updated frequently, so check back often or sign up for our mailing list.
Where to find Simmering The Sea
Simmering the Sea is available for purchase RIGHT HERE ON OUR WEBSITE and at all our our EVENTS. It can also be found at independent bookstores, seafood markets, and gift shops around New England, including those listed below!
Maine (continued)
Gulf of Maine Books, Brunswick
Peekytoe Provisions, Bar Harbor
Sherman’s Bookstore, Portland and other locations
New Hampshire
RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth
Sanders Fish Market, Portsmouth
Star Island Gift Shop, Star Island (Isles of Shoals)
New York
Port Chester Seafood, Port Chester
Rhode Island
Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Bristol
Books on the Square, Providence
Brooks Industrial Marketing, Wakefield
Champlin’s Seafood, Narragansett
Dave’s Fresh Marketplace, East Greenwich
Fearless Fish Market, Providence
Stock Culinary Goods, Providence
Connecticut
Atlantic Seafood, Old Saybrook
Bon Ton Fish Market, Greenwich
Uberti’s Fish Market, Stratford
Massachusetts
Jabberwocky Bookshop, Newburyport
Maritime Gloucester, Gloucester
Nautical Mile Fish Market, Hanover
New Bedford Fisheries Heritage Museum, New Bedford
New Deal Fish Market, Cambridge
Porter Square Books, Cambridge
Snug Harbor Fish Company, Duxbury
Maine
Casco Bay Cutlery and Kitchenware, Freeport
Fisherman’s Catch Seafood Market, Damariscotta
Free Range Fish & Lobster, Portland
If you are interested in offering Simmering the Sea for sale in your store, please contact kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org.
About the authors
Sarah Schumann fishes commercially in New England and Alaska and advocates for healthy marine ecosystems as a freelance educator and writer. Sarah holds a Masters of Science in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy from the University of Oxford. Sarah is also the author of Rhode Island’s Shellfish Heritage: An Ecological History, published by the University of Rhode Island.
Kate Masury is Program Director of Eating with the Ecosystem, a small nonprofit whose mission is to promote a place-based approach to sustaining New England's wild seafood. Kate holds a Masters of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
Marie-Joelle Rochet is a fisheries scientist at the French Institute IFREMER (Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer). In 2008, she was awarded the Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to determine whether selective or non-selective fishing is less destructive to the marine ecosystem.
Rizwan Ahmed is a culinary instructor at the Johnson and Wales University College of Culinary Arts and chef-owner of the Rhode Rage food truck. He earned Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from the University of Maine at Machias and a Diploma De Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu, London.
Léa Tirmant-Desoyen is an artist and illustrator based in Nantes, France. Paintings, unique artist's books, and illustrations come to life in her magic little studio. They illustrate her favorite themes: travel and nature, water and the ocean. She also teaches children and adults her wonderful skill of color.
Praise for simmering the sea
“As the sustainable seafood movement has matured, both the seafood industry and the culinary industries are beginning to understand that by identifying the general culinary traits of fish species, recipes can be developed to suit multiple kinds of fish. This flexibility gives cooks the ability to prepare exactly what sustainable seafood the oceans can afford to give them. The authors have done yeoman’s work to identify the traits of little known, but very flavorful fish available in New England for the home cook. I believe this book will have more home cooks looking to butterfish, sea robins and slipper limpets as great alternatives to old less sustainable favorites.” — Barton Seaver, Chef and Author
“A charming book that delights the senses, Simmering the Sea is a beautifully crafted book that inspires us to have seafood dinners that, as Michael Pollan would say, are not only good to eat, but good to think. Léa Tirmant-Desoyen's vibrant illustrations capture the reader's imagination and bring the world just off our shores playfully, vividly and enticingly into our kitchens. The lively paintings and rhythmic prose sing off the page, telling seldom-heard stories of the sea creatures that rarely find their way onto our plates, but should. It will immerse you in this important ecosystem, and it will make you hungry to be a sustainable part of it.” — Jennifer Bissonnette, Rhode Island School of Design Nature Lab
"From coast to coast, we are seeing the revival of place-based culinary culture. A growing commitment to knowing where our fish comes from and who caught it is shifting the seafood paradigm towards one that is more supportive of community-based fishermen. This instructive little cookbook goes the extra mile by tracing each fish's origins all the way back to the spawn. Know your fisherman, know your ecosystem, know your fish!" — Sean Barrett, co-founder of Dock to Dish ®
“I have been enjoying meals created by the authors for several years: butterfish, sea robins, slipper limpets. All quite delicious. Now with Simmering the Sea I can explore local seafood in my own kitchen and I will be able to continue my adventure with dogfish, skates, kelp, and more.” — Jon Hare, Oceanographer
“Simmering the Sea takes it hook, line and sinker. I am always looking for new fish recipes for readers and customers. Especially those underappreciated species like sea robins. Simmering the Sea gives you some background on the species and suggests how to turn it into a delicious meal. It’s a must-have.” — Dave Monti, charter captain and fishing writer
“Embracing flexibility in your seafood choices is the most fundamental component of a sound food system. This book empowers the community to have flexible demand, which can then perfectly align with Nature's variable supply. It is refreshing to read a book about all the great positive stories from our local fisheries, because there are many.” — Jared Auerbach, Chief Executive Officer, Red’s Best
Press for simmering the sea
“New book helps cooks ‘eat with the ecosystem,’ by Christy Nadalin, East Bay Life December 12-13, 2018
”The Best Seafood Books for Seafood Lovers,” by Craig Fear, Fearless Nutrition.