Trevor Corson loves seafood. He’s fascinated by the industry, the fishermen, and the fish itself. He loves it so much, in fact, that he now has written two books about it.

The first was 2004’s “The Secret Life of Lobsters,” a tale of fishing, science and romance set against Corson’s experiences as a lobsterman based on Little Cranberry Island in the Gulf of Maine. His new book, which came out last month, is “The Zen of Fish,” and it’s about sushi and its evolution from relatively unknown Japanese food to an internationally popular delicacy.

“Zen” combines Corson’s passion for seafood with his other major interest: East Asia, where he lived and studied for a number of years. The book details sushi’s origins as a means of preserving old fish, its transformation into a kind of Japanese fast food in the 19th century, and its journey to the U.S. in the mid-20th century. It provides rich details into the science behind everything from the process of making sushi rice to what makes salmon taste so good.

It’s also a character study of the chefs and chefs-in-training at the California Sushi Academy, the first culinary school in the country devoted solely to sushi. “Zen” focuses on Kate Murray, a young apprentice learning the traditionally male-dominated trade from some tough teachers. Readers learn the art of sushi right alongside Murray and her fellow students; it’s a lot more than just raw fish and rice.

Corson, who will give several talks and signings in Maine next month, took some time out from his whirlwind book tour to speak with the Bangor Daily News about “The Zen of Fish.” Excerpts from that conversation appear below.

Why did you choose to focus the book on Kate and the other students at the Sushi Academy?

I chose sushi because I wanted to combine my interests in seafood and Asia. The challenge was then to tell some sort of American story about sushi, because I thought it was important not to just talk about Japan but about why it’s part of American cuisine. And then I found out about this Sushi Academy, where many of the students were Americans. I went out there and started hanging out in the classroom, and they were all really interesting to observe. I ended up focusing on that.

I took exhaustive notes on everyone there, and when I got home and downloaded it all I found that Kate was really compelling. She wasn’t the best student – one of the worst, in fact – but she was the one who in the long run went through a personal transformation. I also thought it would be interesting because the issue of gender discrimination [in the world of sushi] is pretty serious.

Can you explain what umami, or the fifth taste, is?

Basically, Western science thought for a long time that there were four fundamental flavors: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Japanese scientists, in the early 20th century, were experimenting on things that don’t appear in Western cuisine, like kelp, and fermented fish flakes made from skipjack tuna – things that are the primary base for many sauces and soups in Japanese cuisine. They were analyzing what made those so tasty, and that is when they discovered there was this compound glutamate, and that it had its own taste. They argued this was this fifth taste: savoriness, or umami. They learned to chemically create the components of it, and that’s where MSG comes from. Most of us associate that with Chinese food, but it’s from Japan originally.

Is there anything in Western cuisine that has that fifth taste?

Well, it’s really funny, that same taste component is in prosciutto. Cured ham actually has a very high flavor component that’s essentially the same as traditional miso soup. And tomatoes have it, as well as Parmesan cheese.

What’s one of the most unique or beautiful sushi presentations you’ve seen?

One of the most interesting things I’ve had recently, and this is what I love about leaving it up to the chef, is that [the chef in the restaurant I was at] knew I’d eat anything, so he made me this very nontraditional thing. He served me this shot glass with sweet vinegar broth in it, and then he put a big blob of very stringy seaweed from Japan, and then on top of that he put sea urchin eggs. It was the most outlandish, bizarre thing, and it was totally delicious.

Do you have a favorite fish, or a favorite particular roll?

I don’t. The usual suspects are not flavorful at all – the standard tuna that most of us have I don’t think tastes like anything. The really good tuna is very tasty, but it’s really hard to get. It’s expensive. I think that’s why we use the wasabi and soy sauce, because the tuna don’t have much flavor. Neither does the salmon. Salmon are farm-raised, and they sit in these pens and they don’t develop much flavor.

I try to get something seasonal, and see what they give me. The other day in Los Angeles I walked into a sushi bar and told the chef I was a serious eater. He served me Spanish mackerel, gizzard shad, which is a very popular fish in Japan, skipjack tuna, parboiled octopus leg, and a couple other fish. I don’t have favorites. I like to be surprised.

What advice would you give to a sushi novice?

What I’d encourage them to do would be to sit at a sushi bar in front of a chef, without a menu, and talk to the chef and tell them “I’m a total novice, please educate me. Tell me what I should do if I want to try authentic sushi.” Hopefully, if it’s a good chef they’ll tell you how to do it. Things we habitually do when we eat sushi is sit at a table, order off the menu, use too much soy sauce and wasabi, and use chopsticks. It sort of annoys chefs. It prevents them from making us good sushi. So my advice always is to get the chef to educate you.

Trevor Corson will speak about and sign copies of “The Zen of Fish” at the following times and locations:

. 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Compass Rose Bookstore, 326-9366, in Castine.

. Noon Sunday, Aug. 5, at the Islesford Dock Restaurant, 244-7494, on Little Cranberry Island.

. 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, at Port in a Storm Bookstore, 244-4114, in Somesville.

. 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, at Maine Coast Book Shop, 563-3207, in Damariscotta.

Do you speak sushi?

Bento: Sushi that is served in a tray or a box; usually there are several different kinds of rolls or sashimi, and it’s often accompanied by tempura, teriyaki chicken or pork, fruit or salad.

Domo arigato: Japanese for “thank you”; say this to your chef after he or she makes you some delicious sushi. If you think it’s really good sushi, buy the chef a beer.

Maki: When you think of sushi, you probably think of maki; these are the rolls. It can come with the nori on the outside (futo-maki), the inside (ura-maki), or in a simple hand-rolled cone shape called te-maki.

Nigiri: Rectangular pieces of sushi rice, with seafood or nonseafood toppings.

Nori: Sheets of dried seaweed.

Sake: A Japanese alcoholic beverage derived from fermented rice. Usually served hot.

Omakase: The best way to eat sushi; letting the chef decide for you. For true aficionados.

Sashimi: Raw fish served without rice.

Sushi: Short grain, sticky white rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt. The foundation of any meal, naturally, since the entire cuisine takes its name from it.

Wasabi: An extremely hot green paste derived from the wasabi root, which is native to Japan. Most American wasabi is actually horseradish and mustard, ground up and dyed green. Along with soy sauce and pickled ginger, in the U.S. it’s used as a condiment, though traditionally it’s meant to be used as a palate cleanser between different types of fish.

LOCAL SUSHI CONNECTIONS

Suzuki

419 Main St., Rockland

This atmospheric, aesthetically pleasing establishment is run by Keiko Suzuki, who is, as far as we know, Maine’s only female sushi chef. In addition to traditional sushi favorites, it features local delicacies such as ebi, or tiny raw Maine shrimp, and razor clams. Suzuki also offers an omakase sushi platter, a chef’s choice for adventurous sushiphiles. Open for dinner only.

Tamarind

80 Camden St., Rockland

Tamarind is one of several Thai restaurants in eastern Maine that doubles as a sushi bar. One distinctive thing about Tamarind is that you can build your own roll – pick your fish and your veggies, and then the chef will combine them for you.

Ichiban

226 Union St., Bangor

Since 2000, Ichiban has been wildly popular among Bangor’s discerning diners. The place is mobbed during dinner on the weekend. The sushi is creative and very reasonably priced. Make sure you investigate the specials – there are hidden treasures, featuring everything from beautifully prepared big rolls to hard-to-find items such as giant clams and fatty tuna. They also have fun Japanese sodas and mochi, a rice-based ice creamlike dessert.

Thai Siam

1 Main St., Bangor

Thai Siam makes sushi during dinner hours, so you can tuck into a meal of simply sushi, or order some unagi or akami to augment your masaman curry or duck choo chee.

Siam Orchid

30 Rodick St., Bar Harbor

Another Thai restaurant that has expanded into sushi, Siam Orchid is open year-round, and amazingly is the only place in the whole Down East area that you can get sushi. It’s good, and fresh, and cheap, and it’ll satisfy your sushi fix after a long day traipsing about the island.

Shaw’s Supermarket

Main Street, Bangor

Hannaford Supermarket

Lincolnville Avenue, Belfast

These two supermarkets have an in-store sushi chef that makes your basic rolls (California, tuna, eel, salmon, etc.). It’s very good if you catch it right after it has been made; otherwise, the sushi has been sitting out for a few hours, leaving the rice and nori rather gummy. For a quick lunch, however, it’s not bad at all.