Simply Shrimp, Salmon, and (Fish) Steaks

Pendleton (One Dough, Fifty Cookies) is the Joyce Carol Oates of cookery. She professes to having created roughly 200 dishes a year for the past 12 years, and she's not done yet. Here she pours forth 240 pages of recipes based upon the seafood most commonly available in supermarkets. Of the 89 main dishes, some are tasty variations on old favorites, such as a New Shrimp Cocktail that replaces the tomato with roasted red bell peppers. Others make for a startling blend of tastes, colors or textures, such as Grilled Molasses Salmon with Lime or Salmon Baked with Apricots and Water Chestnuts. And still others give the impression that the chef has just shuffled her database of ingredients. This might explain such far-flung concoctions as Swordfish in Curried Pumpkin Sauce with Sunflower and Pomegranate Seeds or Crispy Salmon on Tangerine and Bacon Spinach. The same traits apply to the 31 side dishes that close the collection; Collard Greens with a Northern Accent sweeten up the traditional soul food with apple cider; couscous becomes bright and crunchy with the addition of dried cranberries and almonds; Peas and Rye Croutons, which calls for rye bread, frozen peas and mustard seeds, is, well, not something one would find in the book of a less prolific author. Along the way Pendleton proves that her cleverness extends beyond ingredients and into technique with tips on such procedures as stuffing shrimp and keeping fillets from sticking to the grill. This is a dependable bet for seafood fans looking for a new way to serve up their favorite fish. (June)