Shellfish

At least two San Francisco establishments — Solari's restaurant and the St. Francis Hotel — have laid claim to this classic. Both places reportedly started serving crab Louis around 1915.

Adapted from L'Ardoise Serve this play on the classic escargots à la bourguignonne with lots of crusty bread to mop up the flavorful butter. The snails come in 7-ounce cans, so you'll have leftovers. You might want to consider making escargots à la Bourguignonne with the leftover snails.

These crab cakes are flavored with the "holy trinity" of Cajun cooking: onion, green bell pepper, and celery. Serve them with a helping of coleslaw or a green salad.

This rich and flavorful dish was inspired by a recent trip to Brazil. If you are making the coconut rice to accompany the shrimp a 14-ounce can of coconut milk will be enough for both dishes.

This light, spicy soup is delicious hot or chilled. The sautéed aromatics turn the broth a rich red-orange, more reminiscent of tomato than watermelon. See if your guests can guess the main ingredient. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr (3 hr if serving chilled)

This recipe calls for giant 4 1/2- to 5-ounce prawns, which can be ordered from some specialty fish markets. If unavailable, substitute 24 large prawns.

A dish created by Kevin Taylor, Chef of Café Iguana, in Denver, Colorado.

Pecan-studded rice pilaf and sautéed pattypan squash are great with the scallops, and lemon pound cake with sugared berries tops off the meal nicely.

The bold flavors of Spain's famous paella-sausage, seafood and saffron-meet the luscious, creamy texture of Italy's risotto in this beautiful rice dish. Pour a chilled dry white wine during dinner, and offer flan for dessert.

The following recipe calls for filé powder, a spice made from the dried, ground leaves of the sassafras tree. Although often added as a thickener to gumbos while they cook, filé powder can also serve purely as a seasoning. As in this recipe, it is then sprinkled over the gumbo at the penultimate moment.

This salad is as versatile as it is delicious. We loved it with squid and with shrimp. Add a loaf of crusty bread, and you've got a complete meal. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

"Last summer I attended an event at the Three Clock Inn in South Londonderry, Vermont. The chef prepared a lovely luncheon, and it included delicious crab cakes," Bill Brett of Bondville, Vermont. "When I went home, I came up with my own version." The crab cakes are loaded with fresh crabmeat and are accented by a tangy sauce.

This dish features garam masala, a flavorful blend of roasted and ground spices used in Indian cuisine and now available in the spice section of most supermarkets. Accompany the shrimp with bottled tomato chutney or fruit chutney and a basket of warm flatbread. A mango smoothie with a plate of coconut macaroons is the perfect dessert.