Seafood

Wrapping salmon fillets in crespelle (crêpelike pasta) infused with fresh tarragon brings a mild herbal flavor to the fish and keeps the fillets moist. A lemon sauce adds another layer of sophistication.

Corkscrew pasta gets a wake-up call with the unexpected übercrunch of toasted panko and a salty jolt from anchovies.

Traditional papillote takes time and requires origami-like folding. Here, we use foil to make a no-mess pouch; the fish becomes infused with the flavors of tomato, capers, garlic, and lemon.

Nori, or sushi paper, can be found in Asian markets and health food stores.

Editor's note: This recipe was created by Erika Lenkert, author of the book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining. For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. When it comes to entertaining I'm a selective cheapskate. I thrive on figuring out how to get the most bang out of minimal bucks for things like decor, so that I can splurge on a few fantastic ingredients, like high-quality American caviar for this dish. When throwing a party I love doing something really easy that looks and tastes fabulous. This is one such example — a hearty scoop of American caviar atop a bite of petite potato salad inside a shot or martini glass. If using shot glasses, serve it with mini plastic spoons, which can be found at ice cream stores. For martini glasses, go with teaspoons or demitasse spoons.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining Add a little yummy-sexy luxury to your cocktail party by serving this velvety salmon spread, which is ridiculously simple to make and perfectly paired with baguette slices and people you enjoy.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Marcus Samuelsson's book, Aquavit : And the New Scandinavian Cuisine Salads like this one are part of the Swedish smorgasbord enjoyed on special occasions such as New Year's. Called skagen in Swedish, this salad is named for a Danish fishing village across the river from Sweden. It's a very traditional dish that appears on every smorgasbord table in the country. Here is our version, which includes smoked salmon, shrimp, and crabmeat. It makes a great lunch served with crusty French bread or whole-grain crispbread.

For a more substantial meal, add cooked udon noodles to the broth.

A cook's dream: The base is made ahead, and the shrimp are added at the last minute. Best of all, the gumbo tastes even better the second day.

Serve these with extra lemon wedges.

Executive chef Michael Psilakis, at Dona in New York City, recommends piling leftovers of this dish over greens for an easy next-day salad.

This fragrant soup from Sam Hazen, executive chef at Tao in New York City and Las Vegas, is brimming with lean protein. Perfect for chilly weather!

I developed this light and tasty Italian-style tuna salad for Parma, an Italian fresh-made fast-food company that had quite a successful run in Philadelphia, including Air Parma at the airport. The salad is light because the tuna is dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice instead of the usual mayonnaise. The fresh herbs give it brightness, and the red bell peppers and purple olives make for a colorful and appetizing preparation. The important thing here is to use the tasty tuna packed in olive oil enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean region, rather than the drier, rather mealy white tuna packed in water.