Sea Salt Eatery: Recipes to Enjoy Year-Round

Favorite recipes and behind-the-scenes stories from Minneapolis's cherished summer spot

Located mist-distance from Minnehaha Falls, South Minneapolis fish stand and eatery Sea Salt has been a beloved summer gathering spot for more than twenty years. A feast of recipes and lore, Sea Salt Eatery: Recipes to Enjoy Year-Round opens the kitchen doors to regulars--and the curious few who haven't been--with stories from employees past and present recapturing the fun and flavor of the iconic restaurant.

A summer of seafood soul-searching on the East Coast inspired Jon Blood--already a veteran of the Minneapolis seafood scene--to start his own fish shack in the Twin Cities, and after a couple of false starts, Sea Salt was born. From its ragtag early days of fish sandwiches grilled with questionable legality in a propane turkey fryer on the front steps, the humble eatery quickly became a culinary juggernaut, spinning seafood into gold in an unlikely but idyllic midwestern locale. Today, lines out the door for fried fish tacos and a rotating board of specials are a testament to the passion, hard work, and occasional quirks of fate that have shaped Sea Salt's story since its founding in 2005.

At the heart of this book, of course, is the seafood that makes Sea Salt what it is: panko walleye, grilled catfish, Thai tuna, crabcakes, BBQ shrimp, and more, featured in mouthwatering photographs and accompanied by perfectly complementary sides. Placing tempting recipes alongside gorgeous images of the restaurant's verdant surroundings and warm, often surprising reflections from longtime employees, revered chefs, and fans, Sea Salt Eatery reminds us to slow down, savor a good meal and great company, and celebrate Minnesota summer in one of its most scenic restaurant settings--or at home, all year long.

Gail Rosenblum, a retired editor and columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune, is author of A Hundred Lives Since Then: Essays on Motherhood, Marriage, Mortality, and More.

Kait Ziemer-Davis has made her career in restaurants, beginning at Café Teresa in South Dakota and moving on to stints at Chatterbox, Modist, St. Paul's award-winning Joan's in the Park, and since 2010, Sea Salt Eatery.