Today, our oceans contain an abundance of delicious, underutilized, and lesser-known varieties of fish. Frequently, these unfamiliar species are pulled up when commercial fishermen are looking for something else. These nontargeted species—known as bycatch—are often dumped back into the ocean, dead or barely alive.

What if we didn’t discard those perfectly edible fish? What if we introduced them to consumers looking for a change on the menu who care about where their seafood comes from? That’s what Sea Robbins, Triggerfish, & other Overlooked Seafood is all about—taking the pressure off heavily targeted species like swordfish and tuna and introducing home cooks and professional chefs to many new species being unloaded on today’s docks.

Let’s celebrate these other fish in the sea by enjoying a bounty of mouthwatering recipes prepared by Chef Matthew Pietsch, owner of the celebrated Michigan restaurant Salt of the Earth. Pietsch’s vast culinary knowledge and skill demonstrated through his fun, straightforward approach, will guide seafood lovers every step of the way as he and James Beard award winner James O. Fraioli encourage seafood consumers to support and promote those underutilized and underappreciated fisheries while still enjoying quality seafood at an affordable price.

Chef Matthew Pietsch is the executive chef and co-owner of celebrated Salt of the Earth in Fennville, Michigan, and Principle Food & Drink in downtown Kalamazoo. Matthew has built his businesses by focusing on sustainable ingredients and relation-ships while facilitating genuine hospitality to each and every guest. He lives in Fennville, Michigan, with his Border Collie “Mise en Place” (Meezy).

James O. Fraioli has twenty-six cookbooks and a James Beard Award to his credit. His titles have been featured on the Food Network, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in O, The Oprah Magazine, and in the New York Times. The author is notorious for teaming up with both celebrity and up-and-coming chefs along with world-renowned restauranteurs to showcase the best the culinary world has to offer. He resides in Bellevue, Washington. Visit him online at www.culinarybookcreations.com.