Shellfish

Savor raw oysters served with three spicy, slightly sweet, and fiery salsas.

What the New Sammy's menu describes as a broth is really a purée. The dish is somewhat monochromatic, but its fascinating flavor spectrum will make your mouth extremely happy.

Pack the precooked crab or shrimp and the tangy sauce separately for this starter.

At the restaurant, this spectacular starter also has a tomato confit vinaigrette. Here, we've substituted chopped seeded peeled tomatoes to simplify the recipe.

Oysters are a great way to start any meal, but buttered on toast they are ideal winter comfort food.

Serve this terrific dish with crusty bread and soup spoons so that your guests can enjoy every last drop.

Satisfying accompaniments for this clever hash would be steamed broccoli and a salad of crisp romaine lettuce with red wine vinaigrette and some shaved Parmesan cheese. We recommend serving slices of Boston cream pie afterward.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Gah Yan Tsui writes, via gourmet.com: "I recently enjoyed a delicious lunch at Aquavit in New York City. Marcus Samuelsson makes an incredible mussel and carrot soup. Would it be possible to acquire the recipe?" This soup tastes much better when made with fresh carrot juice. If you don't have a juicer, you can get some at your nearest natural foods store. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

A caldin is a coconut curry, typical of Goa. Though caldins are made with fresh coconut milk in India, chef Cardoz uses Chaokoh brand canned unsweetened coconut milk. It's thicker and richer than other brands, and imparts a great deal of flavor. It's important not to let the caldin boil during cooking, or the coconut sauce will break.

Serve with: Unoaked California Chardonnay • wild rice with spring herbs • watercress with orange juice vinaigrette • lemon curd tart with strawberry sauce