Whole Roasted Pompano

“I’m pretty sure I could fish before I could talk,” says Texas chef Jon Bonnell, who grew up casting for largemouth bass and crappie in a pond on his granddad’s cattle farm before going on to chase trout, tarpon, cobia, you name it. A year ago, Bonnell turned his lifelong passion for seafood into Waters, the second of two restaurants he helms in his hometown of Fort Worth. Now he’s giving the rest of us a leg up with his recently released cookbook. Cleverly divided into sections based on preparation, from chilled and raw to crispy-fried, the book includes recipes that range from the familiar (Creole gumbo and barbecued shrimp) to the showstopping (oysters and shiitakes in a brandy cream sauce). “People are so intimidated by seafood,” Bonnell says, “so I’ve made sure to give lots of instruction. I’m not keeping any secrets.”