Wilton, Conn. ? Any questions about cooking seafood? Chances are you’ll find an answer in “The New York Times Seafood Cookbook.”

The book, edited by Florence Fabricant (St. Martin’s Press, $30), is an orderly and comprehensive survey of the subject. You won’t overlook that the book has some 250 recipes for more than 70 kinds of fish and shellfish, since that’s included in the subtitle on the cover.

“Around the middle of the last century, Americans ate much less fish than they do today, less than 10 pounds per person annually, compared with close to 20 pounds now,” Fabricant, a New York Times food writer, says, putting the subject in context.

“The numbers are paltry in comparison with those for countries like Japan and Norway, but they represent a decided shift in taste,” she writes.

In answer to America’s preference for eating more fish, Fabricant assembled and edited recipes from a range of food professionals, that have appeared in The New York Times.

To complement the recipes, the book’s reference sections supply plenty of information on basic methods of preparation for seafood, including serving it raw, marinating, poaching, boiling, steaming, sauteing, frying, grilling, broiling, roasting, baking, braising, smoking and planking.

The book also explores different varieties of fish, describing each and suggesting handy substitutes, with recipes for each type. There is a section with recommendations for wine to serve with the different types of fish.

Of the recipes I tested, salmon cakes with yogurt chipotle sauce had a simple sauce made from only two ingredients and it was delicious. However, the batter was very runny. I checked with the publisher and was assured the recipe was correct, but next time I will leave out three of the four eggs it calls for.

Following are three other delectable and easy recipes from the book: spaghetti with scallops, lemon and bread crumbs; shrimp baked with feta cheese; and shrimp in garlic sauce.

Spaghetti with Scallops, Lemon and Bread Crumbs

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Salt

2 cups bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes

A display of sea scallops awaits customers at the Pescatore seafood stall at the Market at Grand Central in New York City. Uses for scallops range from almost-raw ceviche to being paired with spaghetti and lemon for a special pasta treat.

1 pound spaghetti

Salt

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes or to taste

1 pound sea scallops, tough tendon removed, scallops cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Bring 4 quarts salted water to boil in a large pot.

Place bread crumbs in a food processor fitted with metal blade and grind into coarse crumbs, about 1 minute. Place crumbs in a large skillet set over medium heat. Toast, shaking the pan often, until crumbs are golden brown. Remove crumbs from the pan and set aside.

Add spaghetti to boiling water. While pasta is cooking, briefly heat oil in the skillet. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice, parsley, red chili flakes and salt to taste. Cook 30 seconds. Add scallops and cook, stirring, until they are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcook. Adjust seasonings. Keep warm.

Drain spaghetti when al dente, but do not shake bone-dry. Transfer spaghetti, still dripping with a little cooking water, to a large bowl, and toss with scallop sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and toss well. Divide pasta into individual bowls, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Baked With Feta Cheese

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3 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, crushed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1/4 cup fish broth or shrimp stock, or clam juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Greek

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 tablespoons drained capers

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

24 large shrimp (about 1 pound), shelled and deveined

1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup ouzo, optional

Place tomatoes in a saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups.

Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan. Stir in garlic, cook 30 seconds, and add tomatoes, fish broth, oregano, chili flakes, capers, and salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter in a skillet. Add shrimp, toss briefly over medium heat just until they turn pink, then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread half of the sauce among four 6-inch ramekins. Arrange 6 shrimp in each, on the sauce; top with the remaining sauce and scatter feta over sauce. Bake about 10 minutes, until sauce is bubbling. If desired, sprinkle 1 tablespoon ouzo on each and ignite, then serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp in Garlic Sauce

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1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 dried hot red chili (I used a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and did not remove them)

1 pound large shrimp, about 20, peeled and deveined

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon dry white wine

1 teaspoon minced curly parsley for garnish

Warm olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low-heat. Add garlic and chili. When garlic begins to color, raise the heat to medium high and add shrimp and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, turning once, or until shrimp are pink. Add wine, remove chili, garnish with parsley and serve.

Makes 4 small servings.