San Diego Seafood: Then and Now
What this book is all about
This charitable cookbook demystifies San Diego's seafood and fishing history through over 75 traditionally-inspired recipes, insightful historical passaes, and stunning images. Driven by California Sea Grant, this charitable cookbook is a community creation composed of contributions from San Diego historians, scholars, fishing families, artists, scientists, home chefs, and professional chefs, and published by Sunbelt Publications. Each recipe features locally landed seafood with ideas for subsitutions to help eat with the season, tips from the chefs, fun species facts, and local reflections.


Nutritional Information For Institutional Chefs
The importance of local food sources in maintaining food security throughout international tariffs and pandemics has recently been highlighted, even magnified. Direct producer-to-consumer sales have ensured that fresh, safe, healthy protein continues to make it onto the plates of many households. However, the most vulnerable people- the homeless, low-income families, and seniors- have faced worsening food insecurity with no access or means to afford direct food sources. At the front lines of food insecurity are institutional meal services- struggling to connect masses of the food insecure to healthy, fresh, local foods. We hope to offer this cookbook free of charge to institutional kitchens to help bridge that gap through increased awareness of local seafood and fishermen, guidance from professionals like you for the acquisition, safe handling, and preparation of local seafood, and strengthened connections within our community.
The same food service disruptions caused by tariffs and the pandemic have impacted families, who have become increasingly reliant on local food sources. Our hope is to also strengthen connections between the general public and our sustainable seafood system in San Diego. Furthermore, we hope that the sales of the at-home cookbook can offset at least some of the expenses incurred in the publishing and distribution of the free institutional cookbooks.
Thank You to Our Supporters
- Craft Center Culinary Art Studio, University of California, San Diego
- MAKE Projects
- Maritime Museum of San Diego
- Riptide Ceramics
- Zeca Rodriguez, Portuguese Historical Center
- San Diego Ceramic Connection
- Paul Sinicrope
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries
- St. Luke’s Church, North Park
- The fishing families of Tuna Harbor Dockside Market
- United Portuguese S.E.S.
- North Park Restaurateurs:
- Corinne Goria & Accursio Lota
- Trattoria Cori Pastificio
- Drew Deckman, 31thirtyone
- Andrew Gerdes, MAKE Projects Cafe
- Luca Zamboni, Gelati & Peccati
- NOAA Fisheries
