Very well done except I didn’t care for the recipes. Too many odd ingredients. The photography was on point and very well written though. Not for me.

When I saw the title to this cookbook, The Sea Lover's Cookbook: Recipes for Memorable Meals on or near the Water, I instantly thought it would be a cookbook full of seafood. It isn’t what I expected, and is actually a cookbook full of recipes for anyone who loves to camp, boat, or vacation by the sea. Actually, there are only a few seafood recipes, and mostly recipes that are easy enough to prepare near the sea.

Most of the recipes in this cookbook are vegetarian-ish, and there are no recipes containing proteins such as chicken or meat. The recipes for seafood are mouthwatering, however and are worth making. The recipes are written in the traditional manner with a list of ingredients first, followed by step-by-step instructions that are suitable for almost everyone – beginning to advanced cooks. The recipes are mostly easy, and there are several that have parts that are prepped before leaving and finished while on the boat or at the site.

There are beautiful, professional photographs included in this cookbook. Many are of sea lover’s on vacation, and others are of the dishes. Not all of the dishes are pictured, however many are. Readers will get the idea that the author is a “crunchy granola” cook and uses healthy and trendy grains, nuts, seeds, flours, etc. in the recipes.

All told, this cookbook has some good recipes, but not a lot of seafood recipes, since the title is a bit misleading. The cookbook is well-written, however, and interesting to read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Stunning pictures of the ocean/sea combined with recipes is what is special about this cookbook. Most of the recipes are vegetarian with a handful of fish recipes. It could easily be a coffee table book as well as a recipe book.

The author explains how she came to write the book combining her love a photography and the foods she cooks while sailing. Keeping the dishes simple but flavorful. She also includes a section on stocking your seafood pantry which even includes a provision checklist.

The recipes included are divided into the following sections which I have given a sample of one of the recipes included in that section. Each recipe includes a brief blurb about the recipe, a list of ingredients, both U.S. Standards and Metric, number of servings and instructions.

Mornings by the Water: Sweet Mornings - Fruit Salad with Lime and Honey and Savory Mornings - Crispy Pasta with Fried Eggs

Light Meals on Deck: Cumin Egg Sandwich

Sundown Hour: The Easiest Grilled Flatbread

Hearty Meals to Share: Lime and Chile Grilled Shrimp

Sweet Finishes: Lemon Tahini Cookies

I always like to try a recipe from a cookbook I’m reviewing. For this cookbook I chose Brothy Beans with Bread and Butter. This recipe had simple ingredients and easy steps but did take time to finish cooking. The flavor was delightful, and it was easy to imagine how satisfying it would be after a day of sailing.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

This cookbook was a disappointment. I expected more seafood based dishes but they were mostly vegetarian. The title does not convey what the author is actually sharing the recipes for, people who are boats a lot. This is a hard pass for me.

I was excited about this cookbook, as I was raised by the sea and grew up boating, although I currently live in a land-locked place and now camp and boat on lakes. Nonetheless, my background compels me to regularly source fresh seafood and make meals inspired by my upbringing.

The author of this cookbook acknowledges that while she worked on boats, she is neither a sailor nor a chef professionally, but a photographer. This book reflects her photography background with pretty pictures (some of them food, some of them from her travels). My critiques of this cookbook are as follows: very few recipes actually involve seafood, and most of them are vegetarian. There is nothing wrong with that per se, but I feel the title is misleading for those of us who are coastal purists. Due to traveling all of the world, the author has many European and Asian ingredients, which again is fine, but these don't really pertain to the title of the book, and they may be difficult to source for some.

Overall, this felt more like reading an affluent lifestyle blog than it did a genuine ocean-inspired cookbook, but there are a couple of recipes that I will try making. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an advanced copy to review!

NetGalley allowed me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Sea Lover's Cookbook: Recipes for Memorable Meals on or near the Water by Sidney Bensimon is an interesting and quite beautiful book.I found several recipes that I want to try. The recipes are easy to read and follow. I wish there had been more fish and/or seafood recipes in the book. The photos throughout are beautiful.

This cookbook is one that will take readers away to a vacation feeling. The photos are beautiful and will have readers/chefs dreaming of summer.

The author has organized the recipes by the following: Mornings by the Water, Light Meals on Deck, Sundown Hour, Hearty Meals to Share and, Sweet Finishes. Before going to the recipes, it will be helpful to read the beginning sections which include an introduction, information on stocking a pantry and a piece on farmer’s markets.

The recipes…breakfast…how about cornmeal pancakes or crispy pasta with fried eggs? For later in the day the maple glazed carrots look delicious. I also would like to eat eh fresh Vietnamese-Style spring rolls or the salty banana Nutella toasts, among many other good chices..

Do as the author suggests if you are lucky enough to be going on vacation. Take this cookbook with you. The recipes are clear and doable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

I was looking forward to this cookbook for several reasons - one, I love the sea and the ocean and rivers and lakes, and am always looking for great recipes that celebrate and elevate that feeling of being on the water. And two, while I don't have a boat I do have a place on a river and a camper that I often take to the shore. Cooking on a boat and a camper have a lot of similarities with space so I was looking forward to learning some new tips and tricks of the trade.

That being said, this book was not what i was expecting on either count. For my first hope, to find recipes that made me feel like I was on the water, there are very few fish/seafood recipes. It is not until the last section, Hearty Meals to Share, almost 3/4 of the way through the book do we get any recipes with seafood. There are only 8 of them, and 2 are for canned or jarred fish like tuna and sardines, so that was disappointing. And for my second point, the ingredients for these recipes are not simple - there was a burrito recipe that had over 20 ingredients! They are certainly not for people cooking in small places with limited space for storing ingredients. And some require quite a bit of time - certainly not what you want to do if you have the option of being out on the water instead!

Taking those things out, the recipes are very global and a lot draw from Asian roots like Thailand and Cambodia. That is interesting, but requires some not always easy to find ingredients. Not being someone who has travelled the world on a boat, Gingery Greens with Coconut Milk and Tofu don't make me think of the sea.

I guess I would say if you are looking for a global cookbook with an Asian flair and mostly vegetarian recipes, give this a try. If you were hoping for a more simple and clean seafood focus, it's not the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Sea Lover's Cookbook.

I love seafood so I was thrilled to read this!

I'm not a fan of boats so any seafaring tales and jargon and tips about boating went right over my head.

Sadly, this cookbook was disappointing because most of the recipes were easy and kind of silly to include.

Pickled onions, avocado toast, chia pudding?

I can find these recipes in cookbooks written by famous chefs!

Why would I choose this book for such simplistic recipes?

A few of the dessert recipes look interesting and I might give those a try.

There are decent photographs of the recipes but I felt the photos of the coastlines and the ocean were beginning to out number the photos of the dishes.

The author does mention in the beginning of the cookbook that she's no chef.

From these basic recipes, thanks, any one could figure that out on their own.

Why? Apparently folks are enamored of Sidney Bensimon and her whitewashed 'reality', though suspect there is family money supporting projects. This book seems to be a narcissist love letter to themselves. There is nothing new, interesting, or particularly connected to the sea. Just a mashup of family photos and simple recipes that can be found in a basic cookbook, such as 'turmeric oatmeal' with optional fruit - how innovative. Skip.

This is an absolutely gorgeous book and the recipes I've tried are delicious, though very involved. These are NOT boat-friendly recipes, but they'd be great for cooking in a beach rental with a well-equipped kitchen located near an upscale supermarket. The "Pirate Talk" page is 🙄 but, again, the photos and page art are fantastic. This would be a great gift for non-boaters who enjoy beach vibes.

I should've read the description more closely before requesting this title.

From the title and cover, I expected more seafood-forward recipes that showcase the flavors of the ocean. This book specializes on mostly vegetarian recipes (with a smattering of seafood recipes) and features clean, healthy, eco-friendly ingredients that don't require complex preparations or advanced cooking techniques. The author worked and cooked on boats around the world for many years, so she infuses her recipes with her personal anecdotes and rich photography, which beautifully illustrate her affection for the sea.

The pure simplicity of the recipes is the reason I enjoyed this cookbook and will be making it a staple in the kitchen. Nice small and clean recipes that are easy on the go and very quick to make.

We live in a beach city so reading through this book, I saw a lot recipes I could stuff in a picnic basket for the beach. Highly recommend.

The Sea Lover's Cookbook by Sidney Bensimon is a culinary delight. The recipes are easy to follow and sound delicious .
This cookbook made me want to go sailing

The images that were placed and used in the cookbook were grat but I found the recipes in the cookbook a little uninspiring. I was not tempted to go try out the recipes as I would with other cookbooks.

What an excellent cookbook!
The photography is some of the best I've seen in a cookbook.
Each page is so well set up, I would love to have it sitting on my coffee table to flip through whenever I want.

The author mentions about a 3rd of the way through the book that she and her husband are mostly vegetarian.
It wasn't till that moment that I realized there wasn't any meat in any of the previous recipes.
As a self describing carnivore, I was shocked that I hadn't even noticed!
That goes to show how incredibly interesting, unique, and delicious the recipes look.
No meat and I didn't even notice!

The images are gorgeous and the recipes are very approachable. However, I found a majority to be very lackluster. Overall, lovely cookbook but can easily get lost in the “sea” of all the others.