Onion

This light and refreshing slaw is best eaten the day it's made, chilled or at room temperature.

We like to serve this fresh salsa with grilled fish, chicken, or pork, or as a dip for tortilla chips.

London broil comes in different weights and thicknesses; it may be necessary to use two pieces to get the proper amount for this dish. One of the great things about this recipe is that the steak's marinade is also used in the soy citrus mayonnaise, so you get double the flavor.

This healthful vegetarian dish would be perfect for a picnic. To speed prep time, use trimmed sugar snap peas with the strings removed (find them in the produce section of many supermarkets).

For historic continuity, ferociously loyal community support, and an atmosphere that you could spread with a knife, you can't beat the hamburger joint Louis' Lunch, in New Haven, Connecticut. Since 1898, the Lassen family has been grinding its own beef daily, hand shaping patties to order, and grilling burgers on antique cast-iron broilers in front of live flames. (This answers the question once and for all — the proper way to cook a hamburger is by grilling, not by frying it on a griddle.) And as any regional American culinary landmark should be, Louis' Lunch is sufficiently quirky to allow melted processed cheese but militantly prohibit ketchup and mustard as accompaniments to its signature burgers. Here, then, is the next best thing to elbowing your way up to the counter at Louis'.

If your mushrooms are dirty, allow time for wiping them clean with slightly dampened paper towels before lighting the charcoal.

If you're making your vinaigrette with white-wine vinegar, use 1/2 teaspoon sugar (instead of 1/4 teaspoon) to balance the higher acidity.

These thin cornmeal fritters go nicely with the flounder in jalapeño cream. They are made from the same type of batter as hush puppies, but not deep-fried.

Luganega, a coiled slender Italian pork sausage sold at Italian markets and some supermarkets, often comes with flavorings such as spices and cheese. If you can't find it, substitute any fresh Italian sausage.

Associate Food Editor: Alexis Touchet
Father: Rodney Miller, Abbeville, LA
When I was a kid, our summer routine started with the opening day of shrimp season — my dad would get the boat ready and out we would go, winding our way down the bayou until we reached Vermilion Bay. He would check to make sure the trawl net was securely tied before tossing it into the water, and would then let it be dragged down slowly along with the trawl boards. When we painstakingly pulled the net up onto the boat and untied the bag, it spilled out a catch of shrimp, crabs, and fish. These fresh shrimp were the stars in Dad's favorite gumbo recipe.

Food Editor: Lillian Chou
Father: Kuo Hung Chou, Pine Brook, NJ
Jook, a rice porridge, is eaten at breakfast or as a light lunch in many parts of Asia. Although my father came from Shanghai, he preferred the more flavorful Cantonese version my mother made. Breakfast with "Baba"("Daddy" in Mandarin) on Sundays meant a table adorned with many small dishes of condiments. One of his favorites was "thousand-year-old eggs" (pei dan), which are actually chicken or duck eggs preserved in a mixture of clay, lime, and salt. Thousand-year-old eggs are available at Chinese markets, where they're sold individually or in packs of six. (Don't confuse them with "salted eggs," which are brined duck eggs.) Since their quality varies widely, it pays to buy a more expensive variety, if available.

Traditionally used to enclose a savory filling, wonton wrappers are cut and fried into crisp triangles here, lending crunchy texture to soft crabmeat.

Be sure to use fresh spring peas for this classic side dish. Save the frozen ones for something else.