Catching Hell: The Insider Story of Seafood from Ocean to Plate

Written by Allen Ricca and Joe Muto

Narrated by Mike DelGaudio

In Catching Hell, longtime seafood mogul Allen Ricca and author Joe Muto take readers behind the scenes of the high-end restaurant world and the international market for seafood, and how that industry has been impacted perhaps like no other due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This book exposes the fact that the American diner is being lied to on a regular basis. The culprit varies – sometimes it’s a chef or restaurant owner trying to cut corners to save money; other times it’s an unscrupulous supplier looking to pass off poor product to an unwitting receiver. And the cost of that scam eventually gets passed on to the consumer, whether it be in the form of higher prices at restaurants and markets, lower quality (or even counterfeit) product getting delivered onto your plate, or – God forbid – food poisoning. Furthermore, Ricca argues, the pandemic has only increased corruption in this industry.

This book serves as both an exposé and a call to arms, empowering consumers with the knowledge to make more informed choices when dining out. 

Some of the things this explosive book reveals:

-The one fish you should never order, one that’s always a rip-off. (And the one fish that’s always a delicious, virtually-unknown bargain.)

-Why restaurants that advertise “fresh” fish are almost always lying.

-How to get your favorite restaurant to treat you like royalty – without dropping thousands of dollars.

-How the covid-19 pandemic has impacted our food supply chain and what it has meant for the everyday worker. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094448954

Allen Ricca

Allen Ricca is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is the eldest of two children and second-generation owner of Val’s Ocean Pacific. He is co-founder of Winchell Mountain Coffee and Managing Partner of Village Wine Imports. He and his wife live on a farm in Connecticut with their two bulldogs.

Reviews for Catching Hell

[Hunter Gwin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve listened to this book three times- and I don’t even like seafood.

Great industry insight. And the narrator hit it out of the park.

[Ricard Shah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anyone eating seafood at restaurants should definitely read this book about the behind the scenes of distributors and restaurant operations.
The book deals with the hard work of immigrants, finding a niche for something in life you enjoy in your career, family values, and keeping your values in providing top notch quality seafood without compromising.
Very little is known about the behind the scenes preparation of seafood from source to the table, and this book reveals the pros and cons that occur in the seafood industry.
After reading this book, I have realized after being a seafood lover, that I have been scammed weekly and now know to make educated choices on my next seafood plate.
Great to read on the hard work, dedication, loyalty and honesty of a non-fiction book.