Seafood

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 30 min

"My husband, Don, and I both like to cook," writes Lisa Pendelton of Pasadena, California. "We run our own architectural firm. The business is rewarding but stressful, so spending time in the kitchen is a wonderful distraction. We divide the work and always help each other out. Actually, that's also the way we work at the office." Lisa's salmon is also great with her lemon cream: Mix 2/3 cup sour cream with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

This dish from Ciudad in Los Angeles was inspired by the flavors of Portuguese cooking.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

For a real southern meal, pair this dish with the bacon scallion hush puppies.

Sheenga Chat Here is a wonderful recipe of the chettinad (the business community) of Madras whose food often reflects a fusion of northern and southern flavors. In this shrimp preparation, for example, both Curry Powder and Garam Masala are used to achieve intriguingly complex results.

To start, offer a seafood appetizer, such as chilled cocktail shrimp with herbed mayonnaise. What to drink: Pour Champagne or sparkling wine throughout the meal.

This dish is a holiday staple in Southern coastal cities. It can be served with the rest of the meal on the holiday buffet table, but my friend Marion likes to have it ready to go in the oven in case the meal is delayed and tempers get short. It soothes and warms enough to keep the hungry waiting. I'd set out little bread-and-butter plates and forks and put the casserole in the living room. Not all inland eaters have acquired a taste for oysters; they are especially delicious during winter holidays as either a traditional delicacy or exotic fare.

(Tony Tan's Laksa Lemak)

Natalie Zschiesch of Woodstock, Georgia, writes: "When I was a student at the University of Georgia in Athens, I frequently walked across the street to The Last Resort, a restaurant located in the heart of downtown. I'd treat myself to the delicious salmon, served atop creamy grits and surrounded by a rich caper-cream sauce. If only I had the recipe, I wouldn't have to make the trip back to Athens every time the craving sets in."

Besides garnishing lobster stew , tomalley croutons can be served as an hors d'oeuvre or if you wish to elaborate, as a topping for crostini or pizza. Lobster tomalley can be purchased separately from most lobster dealers. It is inexpensive and tasty.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Lobster stew is a very traditional dish made with lobster, milk, butter, salt, and pepper. You will find this in many restaurants in Maine, the best being the ones with the most lobster. I have embellished on the original dish but have left intact the strong and rich lobster flavor. When Craig Claiborne asked me to put together a New England Thanksgiving dinner, this was the soup I served. It is also great as a hearty main course soup.

Crusty bread, an arugula and endive salad with balsamic dressing, and lemon sorbet with chocolate-dipped biscotti turn this simple Italian dinner into a special one.

Bangkok-style noodles with shrimp, chicken and Thai chilies from Arun's in Chicago.