100 Ways To Fix And Feast On Fish

With three fish cookbooks already under their belts, food writers Barbara Grunes and Phyllis Magida have teamed up once again for The Compleat Fish Cook (Contemporary Books, $9.95).

This no-frills paperback offers 100 innovative recipes, and details the many methods by which fish can be cooked - broiling, grilling, water smoking, steaming, baking, poaching, steeping, sauteing, stir-frying, deep-frying and pan-frying. There are also recipes for salting and pickling fish.

Like their other books - Gourmet Fish on the Grill, Fish on the Grill and Shellfish on the Grill (Contemporary Books) - the new one includes general information on selecting and storing fish. It also features a chart that gives the fat content, texture, flavor, calories and possible substitutes for more than 30 types of fish.

The book is arranged by cooking method, and each chapter includes good detail on the method addressed, from the best fish to use to the necessary equipment. Some of the dishes suggest substituting herb stems for wood or metal skewers when grilling.

The book includes dishes with American regional flavors and some that incorporate the styles of Asia. The cookbook also gives some mail-order sources for its more exotic ingredients, and some of the dishes include recipes for accompanying side dishes.

Best of all, Grunes and Magida have a knack for explaining technique in a way that gives the cook insight into the dynamics of a cooking process and an understanding of when, for example, it is better to steam than to poach.

Here are some recipes from the book:

RED SNAPPER WITH CHILI BUTTER

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter at room temperature, cut into 1/2- inch pieces

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds red snapper filets, cut into 6 serving pieces

Soften the butter in a bowl using the back of a wooden spoon or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Mix in the chili powder, cumin, cayenne and garlic powder. Mound it into a small bowl, cover lightly and refrigerate. Remove the butter from the refrigerator 45 minutes before you use it, or soften it to room temperature in a microwave oven.