Easy

Soaking seeds makes a healthier, creamier pesto, but you can skip it if you're in a rush.

For this juicy, herbaceous salad, feel free to combine different varieties of cucumbers and tomatoes, which are at peak season around the same time.

Adding veggies to the marinade while warm helps them absorb more flavor.

Mild, crunchy green papaya is not the same as underripe papaya. Look for it at Asian or Mexican groceries.

If you have a mandoline with a julienne attachment or julienne peeler, use it here. For the best texture, stop cooking before the squash goes limp.

Serve this rich, glazed eggplant as a starter, or with rice and a simply prepared piece of fish for a main course.

"Paris chef Alain Passard, who is famous for unusual pairings, inspired this dish." —Chris Morocco, associate food editor

This also makes a great dinner for one; just cut the ingredients in half.

Top these Tex-Mex–inspired burgers with some melted Monterey Jack and a spoonful of fresh salsa.

Cooking on a bed of salt helps evenly conduct the high heat and infuse the shrimp with seasoning.

Go light on the salt when seasoning these chops; the marinade is fairly salty, especially after it reduces.

Trust us: Your first batch of this condiment will not be your last. Spoon it over the Ricotta Omelets , or see the Cooks' notes for other ways to enjoy it.

Oh, mama! This one's hot. Not in that obnoxious, burns you right off the bat kind of way, but in that slow, didn't see it coming, want to take two more bites to feel the burn just that much longer kind of way. That's a good kind of pain. This seasoning has got three different types of chiles to make it complex and give it some heat, plus white and black pepper to round it out. Use hot or smoked paprika instead of regular to alter the flavor, if you like. We don't call for any salt in our recipe, but you can use as little or as much as you like without making the food overly salty. However, do remember to salt your fish in addition to using the spice in a recipe. And if you're using the blend for blackening, get that exhaust fan going or be prepared to set off every smoke alarm you have. (Better yet, do your blackening outside on the grill in a cast-iron skillet!)

One of the secrets to this raw salmon dish from Seattle restaurant Madison Park Conservatory is an amazing Moroccan spice blend called ras el hanout. It's like a curry powder in that there are a billion unique combinations, with each cook creating his or her own, though most include Moroccan favorites like cardamom, ginger, or mace. The blend is sold in fancy grocery stores or in Middle Eastern markets like the one near us in Pike Place Market that smells like heaven. You can also buy it online. If you can't find Greek yogurt, let plain yogurt drain a bit in a colander until thick before using.

This is one of the most popular seasoning mixes we sell, and it's a winner sprinkled simply over fish or used as part of a more complex recipe. This blend has just the right amount of garlic and onion, with paprika for depth and a bit of dill for flavor. But we think it's the celery seed that really makes this one sing. See what you think.

This quick, easy, and delicious recipe features a seared whole piece of tuna loin that's seared on a grill and then cut into slices and slid into brioche buns. Okay, so these are also technically sandwiches. If you're wondering why these slides are here instead of in the sandwich chapter, there are two reasons. The first is that Anders thought there needed to be a tuna option in Tuesday-Night Tuna. But the other reason is less pedantic: these are easy to make on a weeknight and make a fantastic dinner for four. Anders serves these with Pike Place Fish Smoked Walla Walla Onion Tartar Sauce, but you can serve it with any tartar-style sauce.

Italian Green Sauce for Fish or Meat An Italian edition of sauce verte, salsa verde goes with bollito misto, a northern Italian extravaganza of simmered veal, chicken, sausage, tongue, and more; but it's even better with plain poached, steam-poached, grilled, or oven-baked fish. Make it in a processor, following these directions; or, for a finer texture, make it with a mortar and pestle, as directed in the preceding sauce verte recipe. In essence, this is another version of pesto.

Toum bi Zeit I had struggled for years to get this sauce right—clear white, creamy, and pungent. But it was only when my Lebanese friend and food writer Anissa Helou offered the suggestion of strained yogurt instead of the customary dampened bread or mashed potato that the whole thing began to come together for me. This is delicious but—obviously—for garlic lovers only. It is best made with a mortar and pestle, as a food processor brings out an acrid flavor.

The Basic Recipe Fish steaks, cut 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick—halibut, swordfish, and tuna are all good choices—are really best for grilling. Fillets are usually too delicate, and large whole fish are tricky—too often the outside is charred before the inside is cooked. If you're lucky enough, however, to find small whole fish, such as sardines, imported red mullet, small mackerel, or bluefish, they will be exquisite cooked over charcoal or the embers of a wood fire for a real Mediterranean-style treat. Count on 1/4 pound boneless fish steaks per serving, a little more with the bone in, and add a little extra for enthusiastic appetites.

Why buy bottles of grenadine when it's so easy to make at home, the natural way? This garnet-hued, sweetly piquant syrup is a great addition to any number of beverages for both its color and its flavor—and it makes a delicious soda on its own, too. Use high-quality bottled pomegranate juice, or make your own.