Le Maire, Coffe tout new seafood cookbook

French Fisheries Minister Bruno Le Maire is underlining his support for the nation’s fishing and seafood industries at the launch of a new cookery and history book on fish.

“Ce que nous devons savoir sur les poissons, coquillages et crustacés” (“Everything we need to know about fish, shellfish and crustaceans”) is the latest work in a collection directed by celebrity chef Jean-Pierre Coffe.

Le Maire wrote a preface in the book, authored by French journalist Delphine Germain, and the ministry’s Salle Sully function room hosted the book launch last week.

“Behind this book that I support, there is the defense of a way of eating, of fish species, and of a cuisine. There is also the defense of French model of fishing that adds value to the product and that respects resources,” Le Maire told journalists.

A regular fixture on French TV, and a popular chef and food commentator, Jean-Pierre Coffe said at the launch: “To learn in a fun and simple way about products is fundamental because that is the culture.”

The 300-odd page book, that includes tables provided by the French fisheries agency FranceAgriMer, sets out to explain the history, production and commerce of seafood in France, as well as advice on how to choose fish.

Touching on the issue of sustainability, Le Maire writes in the book’s preface that understanding, education and studying taste will benefit all. “Everyone can gain so that we don’t do whatever we want under the pretext of yields, and that we don’t eat whatever we want, under the pretext of ease.”

According to government figures, French fisheries sales were valued at EUR 1.7 billion in 2008. The smaller aquaculture sector made EUR 580 million. Combined, the total seafood sales came to EUR 2.28 billion.

In terms of employment, the fishing and fish-farming sectors collectively occupy about 23,000 jobs. And in 2008, French vessels landed 550,000 metric tons of seafood.

“Ce que nous devons savoir sur les poissons, coquillages et crustacés,” published by Plon, hits bookstands on 3 March.

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