Seafood

This fragrant dish has a wonderful blend of spices and goes well with steamed basmati rice.

Spanish anchovies in vinegar (boquerones) are milder than salted anchovies and have a light pickled taste. They are available in the refrigerated section of some specialty foods stores and online from markys.com.

If Oxhearts aren't available, try Pineapple tomatoes; instead of Cherokees, use Rose de Berne. Go for color contrast.

The intensity of hot mustard varies. Start with 1 teaspoon, then add more by 1/2 teaspoonfuls to taste. Hot English mustard is a good stand-in if Chinese is unavailable.

Adding large flakes of pleasantly pungent smoked mackerel to a straightforward potato salad gives it a deeper, more savory dimension. Smoked mackerel comes in herbed and peppered varieties as well as plain; all of them will work well here—especially the peppered version.

Food lovers on America's coasts have long known that crab cakes make wonderful sandwiches. Here, tender lumps of sweet crab are seasoned (in the manner of traditional Louisiana deviled crabs) and lightly bound with egg and bread crumbs, then panfried until the cakes have a golden crust. A thin layer of tangy tartar sauce and crisp lettuce is all the accompaniment they need.

You could hardly do better in summer than to combine shellfish and tomatoes—their balance of sweet and savory seems to bring out the best in both. Here, the seafood retains its succulence, while its juices combine with the vinaigrette; you'll want to sop up the excess with bread, or at least eat it with a spoon.

This dip has all the umami seductiveness of a bagna cauda. In August's heat, however, you'll be thrilled that it's a cool version and not too heavy—just thick enough to cling to green beans.

Just what we want on a sultry evening—tender shrimp and creamy beans are the mouthwatering core of this cool salad sparked with a lemony vinaigrette.

In this elegant twist on the traditional French method of cooking en papillote, fish fillets become incredibly moist as they steam inside a sheath of zucchini slices.

Full of sweet corn, smoky bacon, and delightfully briny clams, this light summer chowder is like having a whole New England clambake in a bowl.

Like most foods they can pick up and dip, this gentle introduction to sushi, which takes only 30 minutes to prepare, is a hit with kids. Serve with low-sodium soy sauce (or whatever dip will get your child excited about eating).

This recipe was created by chef Geraldine Ferraro of the Four Swallows Restaurant on Bainbridge Island in Washington. It's part of a special menu she created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Raita is India's signature yogurt and vegetable condiment. This one would also be good on pita or naan.

For extra crunch, add a few strips of cucumber or bell pepper before rolling these up.