[.ca] The Ultimate Shrimp Book: More Than 650 Recipes for ... (ISBN 0060934166)

From Amazon.com:
In the year 2000, Americans ate an astonishing 963 million pounds of shrimp. Bruce Weinstein's relatively slim Ultimate Shrimp Book presents 650 recipes for the titular seafood, from Shrimp à la King to XO Shrimp. Weinstein's approach is to offer "master recipes," such as those just given, followed by up to 10 "quick-take" variations for each. For example, the recipe for Shrimp Cakes is trailed by Florida-Style Shrimp Cakes, which adds lemon juice and zest; Herbed Shrimp Cakes, with parsley, thyme, and tarragon; and Louisiana-Style Shrimp Cakes, with Tabasco plus red or green pepper, and so on. Though many of the uncomplicated formulas are alluring, a number, particularly those featuring shrimp and cheese mixtures (such as a creamy dish with parmesan, blue cheese, fontina, and Asiago), have questionable appeal. However, readers will still find many worthwhile dishes to try, from old favorites, like Shrimp Rémoulade and Beer Batter Shrimp, to "newer" recipes, such as Shrimp Bengalese Stew and Szechwan Cold Garlic Shrimp. Crowd-pleasers like Shrimp Etouffée and Shrimp Paella are also covered, as are tasty shrimp snacks like Popcorn Shrimp, Shrimp Pizza, and Shrimp Tacos. With useful shrimp buying and preparation information and good notes on ingredients and equipment, the book is a handy guide to a much-loved American food. --Arthur Boehm

shrimply delicious:
I bought this book after seeing these guys at a cooking demo in the New York area--and it's as entertaining as they are! I love all the cool info about shrimp, and I love the international dishes they create. Plus, the whole thing has this really great sense of humor. I love shrimp--and now I have enough great recipes to last me a long, long time. Plus, it's so cool that it doesn't cost much but you get a lot of great shrimp recipes!

The Ultimate Shrimp Book review:
I haven't tried the recipes, but I can provide some comments that may be useful: 1. recipes appear to be straighforward and unremarkable. I believe a previous reviewer made a similar comment. So the word "Ultimate" in the book title is inaccurate. 2. There are actually 109 recipes with variations. I.e, a basic recipe is given and additional instructions are made to the basic recipe (such as whisk 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce), so I think the 650 recipes claim by the author is misleading. The book is 248 pages long. 3. The page numbers are written in a very thin font so it maybe difficult for persons with eye-sight problems to locate a receipe using the index. 4. There are no photographs so you can't tell if you successfully achieves the result intended by the author. 5. There are no instructions on how to peel and devein the shrimp -- not a big thing, but since the book is titled "Ultimate", I expect a complete treatise.

an ultimate book in every way:
i have made recipes from this book and unlike some of the other reviewers who haven't, i can tell you that they are spectacular. they are written in a very straightforward way and that's a good thing. they are easy to follow. and while some of the variations that follow recipes are simple, i wouldn't have thought of them myself. turning the delicious shrimp puffs into chinese shrimp puffs requires the addition of ginger, cilantro, and chili oil, while omitting the thyme and tabasco. basil and fish sauce are added to create thai shrimp puffs. yummy. and as for information, well the introduction in this book tells me more about shrimp than i ever knew. did you know that fresh shrimp are almost always frozen? and there are detailed instructions on how to peel and devein a shrimp (of different sizes) right there on page 5. i've enjoyed cooking from this book and it's one of those i keep right in my kitchen and turn to time and time again.

a jumbo shrimp book:
This is a wonderful book, full of traditional and innovative recipes. I love the shrimp-y takes on classics like Diane, A la King, Fra Diavolo, and Lasagna. My family also liked the international focus--African, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Japanese. We've even learned to make our own sushi rolls! We had a blast this summer with this book. There's nothing fancy--just solid recipes with lots of ideas for varying them endlessly. In the end, this is a book I'll come back to again and again. True, it's not a coffee table cookbook--but then, I'm not a coffee table cook.

This Book Has Everything a Shrimp Lover could Love!:
I rarely by a book because of it's cover, but this one made my mouth water. And every recipe I've made so far has lived up to my expectations. DELICIOUS! The recipes are clear and easy to follow and the dishes come out perfectly every time. The Asian dishes are my favorites so far. By far this book has the best recipe for Coconut Fried Shrimp I have ever had. And it's nice to have all my other favorite shrimp recipes in one place.