Keto

The first Chinese recipe I ever cooked was a version of this dish from Yan-Kit So's Classic Chinese Cookbook. Years later—and having eaten it countless times in the Sichuanese capital Chengdu—it remains one of my favorite fish dishes, and everyone else seems to love it too. The fish lies in a spectacular sauce, a deep rusty red in color, sumptuously spicy and aromatic with ginger and garlic. In Sichuan, they tend to make it with carp. Back home in London, I've made it with sea bass, whole trout and fillets and, more recently, with organic mirror carp. They all taste delicious. (As with many Sichuanese dishes, the soul of the recipe lies in the combination of flavors and you can be flexible about the main ingredient, which is one reason why Sichuanese cuisine travels so well.) I'm particularly happy that the recipe works so well with mirror carp, one of the most sustainable fish and ripe for revival in places such as Britain, where it has long fallen out of favor. You will probably find that the fish disintegrates slightly during cooking. Don't worry: you can arrange it neatly on the serving plate and pour the sauce over it. And when your guests taste it, if my experiences are anything to go by, they'll be so overcome with rapture that they won't care what it looks like.

It's the crispy fried skin that makes wings a diet no-go. Using chicken tenders keeps 'em healthy.

Pull the eggs off the heat when they still look a little loose; carryover cooking will do the rest.

This simple salad gets extra flavor from finely grated hazelnuts.

If you've tried kale chips, you'll get the idea behind this elegant snack. At Saltimporten, the chefs use a dehydrator, but we got great results baking the chips in a low-heat oven for a long time.

Saltimporten sources only the freshest wild mushrooms available and uses them raw in this dish. If using less-than-pristine mushrooms, sauté them quickly in a neutral-flavored oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable oil.

Onions become meltingly soft and improbably delicious after dry roasting.

Use mature flat-leaf spinach— the baby leaves lack flavor and texture.

Another fantastic substitute for soupy beans, these pack a punch, which is just the thing for tortas. The chile powder should be reduced by half if serving these beans as a side dish.

Maque choux, a traditional Cajun dish of fresh corn, stewed tomatoes, and tender okra, is guaranteed to bring a burst of juicy heat to herb-roasted chicken or a meaty white fish. Mop up the savory side with a corn muffin or pair it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Requiring nothing more than chopping and sautéing, this side is an easy go-to dish for summertime fare.

The combination of plump fresh fish, juicy red bell peppers, sweet onion squares, and pungent cilantro makes for an eye-catching presentation. For additional color, thread yellow, orange, and green bell peppers onto the skewers, or you can tame the heat with thick peach slices. And feel free to swap wooden skewers for the metal variety; just be sure to give them the requisite pregrilling soak of about 30 minutes. Serve these lively kebabs with a simple green salad.

The bold pairing of sharp, salty Parmesan with a sweet vinegar and brown-sugar glaze transcends any steak lover’s expectations. Both the butter and the glaze boost the juiciness of the meat, while peppery arugula sets a light and refreshing backdrop. Feel free to substitute your preferred cut of meat, and finish the plate with a baked sweet potato.

Soy sauce, sriracha, hoisin, and Asian sesame oil assert an Eastern influence on the traditional burger. Since the burgers and sauce can both be made ahead of time, this is a versatile, no-fuss meal perfect for a dinner party or after-work bite. With the lettuce, bell pepper, carrot, and cilantro in separate bowls, guests can customize their burgers as they please.

Here's a traditional spice blend from Yemen, where it's called hawayil. Add to onions and celery when making chicken soup; sprinkle on carrots before roasting; or rub into steaks before searing.

Chef Kris Wessel of Florida Cookery in Miami Beach, Florida, shared this recipe as part of a Palm Tree Christmas menu he created exclusively for Epicurious. Look for firm fish with bright eyes and red gills, Wessel says. It should smell sweet, not fishy. If you prefer to grill the snapper, see the Cooks' note for cooking times.

There is not much to say about this salad—it is as charmingly simple and straightforward as it appears. You could likely just copy it without a recipe. The point I do want to stress, however, is the necessity of making your own salad dressings. There is all sorts of junk in store-bought dressings and they don't taste nearly as fresh—not to mention that it's ridiculously easy to whisk a few things together or put them in a mini blender. This particular dressing hovers around the vinaigrette family, with just enough crème fraîche to coat the leaves with the thinnest amount of creaminess. Be sure your leaves are cleaned and fully dry so the dressing can cling on. The recipe yields enough for the given salads, but I typically double it so I have extra on hand.