Ivar's Seafood Cookbook: The O-fish-al Guide to Cooking the Northwest Catch
A Seattle institution for more than half-a-century, Ivar’s specializes in the seafood of the rich waters of Puget Sound and the Pacific. Opening his first restaurant, Acres of Clams, Ivar Haglund built a local chain that continues to attract both Seattle citizens and tourists for fresh seafood served in copious quantities at reasonable prices. Ivar’s kitchens moved beyond everyday deep-fried items into raw, baked, and steamed oysters as well as Dungeness crabs. Local salmons of several varieties now dominate the newer, more refined eatery locations. Side dishes and seafood sauces bring out the fishes’ best qualities. In addition to being a canny restaurateur, Haglund has a playful sense of humor, so the cookbook’s text is pun-laden (or pun-leaden to the merriment impaired). Reproductions of early menus startle with their prices; for example, a halibut steak dinner for $2.35. Pacific Northwest libraries will no doubt find this title in particular demand. --Mark Knoblauch