Seafood

Mischa Barton and Kate Beckinsale have spent time in the Santa Monica steak house with a funky decor (picture mirrored walls and antler chandeliers). Atkins devotees can be spotted chowing down on red meat, while vegetarians can sample plenty of fish recipes like this tuna dish, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids (they may help reduce your risk for heart disease).

Healthy bonus: Protein, vitamin B12, and niacin from tuna

This calorie bargain, the second winner from Red Mountain, owes its flavor to chef Luethje's mix of Thai chile paste, fresh ginger, and raita, an Indian yogurt salad. The shrimp supplies lean protein, the yogurt calcium.

Green olive bruschetta spread can be found near jarred olives and pasta sauces, or in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. It usually contains chopped olives, oil, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs.

Be sure to buy the salmon with the skin on, which makes it much easier to handle as it grills. Keep in mind this is a special cut that your fish market or supermarket seafood counter may have to order. What to drink: Tom Douglas likes to pair this with a Washington State Chardonnay. Try: Columbia Crest 2002 Grand Estates Chardonnay ($11).

Planking is one of Ted Reader's favorite ways to cook because it simultaneously bakes, grills, and smokes the meat or fish. It's an especially good technique for barbecuing fish, which has a tendency to flake and fall apart on the grill. For this recipe, begin soaking the cedar plank one day ahead. what to drink: J.L. Wolf 2003 Riesling, Wachenheimer Belz, Pfalz, Germany ($20).

Chilled shrimp in piquant remoulade sauce is a Creole classic. Here, it tops pumpernickel toasts spread with a chili-molasses butter. What to drink: Berry Rum Punch.

Tony Matranga of Los Angeles, California, writes: "When I started cooking, the process was a mystery to me. I would try to re-create other people's dishes but couldn't get them quite right. After working in an Italian bakery and several restaurants, and observing chefs, I began piecing together recipes and finally came up with some great results of my own."

The first time my Nantucket Island friends Nigel Dyche and Sarah Chase made this for me, I was incredulous at how fabulous it was, yet so simple. The fish tastes of the sea and the smoke from the grill with no extraneous flavors to mask the ocean-fresh steaks. The mayonnaise coats the thick pieces of fish, keeping them moist inside and promoting a golden caramelized color on the outside. Nantucket Islanders use this recipe mostly for swordfish, and it is one of their favorite summer meals, especially when paired with thick slices of ruby-red garden tomatoes.

We prefer Nova salmon for this particular recipe because it's the mildest and least salty. Although Nova has become a general term for smoked salmon, it really describes the delicacy made from fish descended from wild Nova Scotia salmon.

Annuska Angulo Rivero of Mexico City, Mexico, writes: "This recipe was originally for besugo, a fish popular in Bilbao but not easily found in Mexico. I use red snapper instead. Be sure to eat this with lots of good bread to mop up the sauce. Using a fruity olive oil makes this dish incredibly flavorful.

Blue crabs take a little more work to eat than larger crabs like Dungeness, but their sweet flavor is worth the extra effort. Blue crabs are commercially harvested from New York to Florida — including, most famously, Chesapeake Bay — and the Gulf Coast states. The best are available from late summer to early fall. If you're landlocked or on the West Coast, you can order live blue crabs from The Crab Place (877-328-2722; crabplace.com).

Gambas al Ajillo Mamá Pepa I received an e-mail from María Jesús Davis, who resides in Washington, D.C., but is inordinately proud to be a native of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucía. Writing in charming Andalusian colloquial Spanish, she says, "I am Jerezana to the bone, and I hope you like my mother's recipe, which is very simple to understand — because I get bored when cooking gets complicated." Gambas al ajillo, a staple in most tapas bars, takes on a new twist and a haunting flavor with the addition of medium-dry amontillado sherry, which also comes from María Jesús's hometown. She advises, "Be sure to provide plenty of bread to sop of the sauce. It's to die for!"