Sensational Salads

Salads have become the dish of choice for the diet-conscious, making for healthier eating but limiting the range of possibilities in salads to an excessively virtuous, unimaginative few. In fact, salads--as Evans demonstrates--can take in fish, fowl, even red lumpfish caviar (as in her spaghetti and caviar ``igloo'' salad, chilled in cups, then inverted onto plates, in igloo shapes). Evans ( Fearless Cooking for Men ) recognizes both the healthy and decadent sides of salad making, and provides recipes for partisans of each. Most dishes are quick and easy; recipes for crackers and breads are included, as well as suggestions for side dishes and seasonal menus. Even those that call for more advance preparation are not beyond the expertise of the average cook. Unfortunately, salads themselves are not organized by season--it will take a little hunting to find one suitable for a cold winter's day--but, rather, under headings of pasta, mixed green, fruit salads and so on. (May)