Wine

A pretty, pale pink sorbet enhanced with a splash of Champagne.

Serve with Garlic Mashed Potatoes. You don't know where the fish ends and the potatoes begin in this beautiful and satisfying dish Chef Desmond, of Island Cottage on Hare Island in Ireland, uses turbot that comes from the waters off nearby Clear Island. We call for halibut, which is more readily available here.

Cunetto House of Pasta in St. Louis has an excellent grilled skewered chicken entrée. Sometimes I even make a special trip just to have it. Could you request the recipe? Georgeann King Memphis, Tennessee

Serve garlic toast with this to mop up all the savory broth.

We enjoyed this dish served at room temperature, but it is also delicious warm.

Warm garlic toast and an arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette are good partners with the pasta. A purchased lemon tart is a fitting dessert.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This easy zuppa di pesce is a staple of the anchovy packers of Mazara del Vallo on the northwestern coast of Sicily. It always comes with bread to soak up the juices.

Ginger, curry powder and Chinese five-spice powder turn up in this northwestern version of a classic holiday relish.

You won't want to miss a bit of the wonderfully aromatic sauce, so serve either the Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes or plenty of French bread to catch every drop. Round out the menu with buttered carrots, a spinach and toasted walnut salad with walnut oil vinaigrette, and mocha layer cake for dessert.

I usually forget how satisfying it is to eat mussels this way — splashing into the steamy bowl fragrant with spring herbs — until I'm at a restaurant eating them and think, "Mmm, I should make these again, soon."