Avocado

Serve this colorful salsa with grilled fish or chicken, or with black beans and rice.

When sweet, succulent jumbo crabmeat comes into season, this is an incredibly simple, light, and refreshing first course that requires no cooking. It can also be used as a main course for a summer luncheon.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

We call for California avocados in our recipes because our food editors prefer their rich flavor and creamy texture to that of West Indian avocados, which tend to taste a bit bland and watery.

"Five years ago, I threw my first dinner party," writes Kristin McGill of Chicago, Illinois. "It was a memorable night with good friends, great food and lots of wine. That night, cooking became my passion. And despite all of the effort, I still love to throw parties. My husband, Henry, and I host get-togethers once or twice a month. I do most of the preparation — admittedly that's because I enjoy cooking so much that I prefer to have the kitchen to myself. But I have to confess that since I started sharing the counter space, I've discovered we make a great team." Pair this lovely side or first-course salad with the Blue Cheese Toasts. Add cooked, peeled shrimp for a lunch entrée.

A luxuriously creamy and bright dressing made with aquafaba, miso, and crunchy poppy seeds makes a star out of summer produce.

You’ll want to put this creamy (but dairy-free) green sauce on everything and it’s particularly sublime under crispy-skinned salmon.

A slow-simmering, comforting braise delivering healing to both body and soul.

Consider this dish—made with refried beans and crunchy vegetables—an affirmative answer to the question, “Can dip be dinner?”

This 30-minute dinner tastes like warm sunshine on a cloudy day.

Once you mash avocado into raw kale, you might never eat the hearty leafy green any other way.

This weeknight meal hits all the high notes of the beloved sushi roll.

In this vibrant salad, crisp pear, ripe avocado, and crunchy lettuce are tossed in a lime dressing and dusted with Tajín.

Mexican esquites meets Chinese tiger salad. This crunchy, bright, sweet, juicy side is everything you want to eat in the summer heat.

A twist on the classic fattoush salad, with a creamy avocado and lime dressing and crispy fried tortilla strips standing in for the traditional pita chips.

A twist on the classic, this Caesar pops with the addition of chile-powder-and-Cotija-crusted croutons, crumbled queso fresco, and creamy avocado.

When the flavors of a savory salmon poke bowl crash land on a slice of avocado toast, you’ve got a lunchtime power player on your hands.