A great way to use prawns. I served this on top of roasted zucchini and cauliflower, and couscous, with whole leaves of parsley instead of chopped. Tasted wonderful, sadly no leftovers.

Keeping the ingredient list short but full of intention means that every flavor works in unison, with little waste. Waste, like shrimp shells, is a matter of perspective -- and this recipe proves that big flavor can come in simple packages.

Each component of the soup complements another in somewhat unexpected ways. The sweetness of the shrimp balances out the saltiness of the broth. The sofrito deepens the soup’s flavor while the lime’s acid lends brightness. Sazón richens; dashi mellows. To some, ramen and sazón may be an unexpected pair. But to others, this is just the mash-up they were looking for.

These fritters, aromatic with garlic and turmeric, are a riff on the classic Hà Nội street snack called bánh tôm, in which shrimp or prawns are nestled in a basket of sweet potato, then fried. We swap out the sweet potato for taro here for a slightly different flavor; the taro is also lower in moisture than sweet potato, so the fritters stay crisp longer. You can use any size shrimp, though larger shrimp will be easier to slice and offer a more dramatic presentation than smaller shrimp. While these fritters do indeed make great snacks, you can also turn them into a family-style meal by serving them with a platter of lettuce, herbs, and rice paper wrappers. In either case, you will definitely want to dip these in plenty of nước chấm. If you don’t already have a jar in the fridge, you can easily make the nước chấm in the time it takes for the oil to reach the proper frying temperature.

My first taste of aguachile was in Los Angeles a few years ago, and I was thrilled to rediscover it back in NYC's Jackson Heights at Mariscos El Submarino, a Mexican seafood restaurant specializing in aguachiles, cócteles, ceviche, and other freshly prepared dishes. Aguachile, meaning "chili water," is a dish from Sinaloa, México, is similar to ceviche but with a focus on spiciness. It typically consists of raw seafood, often shrimp (and here I'm using scallops as well), cured in lime juice, and then submerged in a broth made of the marinating liquid, soy sauce or Maggi liquid seasoning, jalapeños, Serranos, cilantro, and garlic. The broth's spiciness can range from mild to fiery, but it typically packs a punch, living up to the dish's name.

Pretty much everyone who walks through the door at Nom Wah orders the har gow—the shrimp dumplings. They’re like the pastrami sandwich at Katz’s. Shrimp dumplings are the quintessential measure of dim sum. When it comes to har gow, a restaurant’s caliber is judged on how thin the dumpling wrapper is and how many folds join the wrapper together. The more folds, the higher the quality of the kitchen and the more dexterous the dumpling maker. Dumpling folds are like thread counts in suits but better, because dumplings are more delicious than suits.

Nykavi's brilliant "fork and spoon" soup is genuine cold winter Sunday fare. It was also quite an education for me: I've never prepared a soup's vegetable base in this way before (I didn't have shrimp paste, so I used shrimp powder instead) . The flavor changes remarkably as a result, and nothing interferes, texture-wise, with the tender chunks of chicken, bits of boiled egg, and silken rice noodles. The brazen 2 tablespoons of chili powder first caught my eye; I even added a few drops of Sambal Olek, too. In short, I love this soup, and I am so glad to have precious leftovers in the freezer. Thank you, nykavi, for taking me outside my comfort zone into a brand new one.

Though my great-grandmother perfected it, this seafood gumbo recipe originated with her mother and has been passed down through the women of my family for five generations. Making my Great-Grandmother's gumbo recipe is a rite of passage for cooks in our family and symbolizes the value she placed on celebrating the natural resources of her home near Mobile, Alabama.

This recipe was told to me many years ago by my cooking mentor Lena, an amazing cook who grew up in Russia and picked up cooking ideas from her stays in Eastern and Western Europe. I have adapted and served this recipe as the showpiece of several dinner parties. It is amazingly easy to fix and has a depth of flavor from the mix of shrimp, scallops, cream and saffron. The final presentation is stunning with the mixture poured over a nest of black, squid-ink pasta and decorated by a colorful array of thin crispy slices of sautéed peppers.

I generally shy away from recipes that use copious amounts of olive oil, but seafood salad is an exception because it just tastes so good and olive oil-y. I like to serve each portion mounded a on leaf of radicchio.

This entrée is nice for warm summer evenings and can be served warm, chilled, or at room temperature. I like to use quinoa because of all my friends who eat a gluten-free diet, but whole wheat couscous works as well. Have fun trying a variety of herbs; I grab a handful of whatever looks good in my herb garden. Feel free to double or triple this for a crowd.

With its nods to both Spanish and Italian cuisine, micki barzilay's riff on vegetarian-style paella contains some lovely vibrant flavors. I especially liked how she infuses robust flavor into the rice with generous amounts of mostly pantry ingredients; dried oregano, garlic, onions, and saffron (although next time, I might up the saffron so its flavor shines through more prominently) yet the vegetables themselves taste clean and bright. I added just 1/2 tablespoon of salt since the olives, capers, artichokes, and hearts of palm all had added salt. I would especially recommend adding the optional shrimp as it adds another layer of plump, juicy flavor to the paella.

In this dish, the herb-packed marinade works double duty. Not only does it create succulent flavors for grilled shrimp, it also serves as an impromptu garlic bread spread, too. Just slather the marinade onto ciabatta, anoint it with olive oil, and place it on a hot grill for a quick kiss.

I came up with this dish for my wife on a lazy saturday afternoon.

In the Fall I crave comfort food...braised meats, roasted root vegetables. I like to start the meal with something bright like a fall day, sparkling and pepper.y My garden lemons and oranges are just about ripe and my neighbors persimmon tree is looking like someone flipped the switch. I think that this salad would be perfect for the day AFTER Thanksgiving when everyone is craving something lighter.

Fresh Onaga is a Hawaiian cold water snapper with a slightly firm texture sweet flavor. Use fresh coconut that is grated.

It's sweet, it's spicy and it's absoloutely addictive! Pick one or two of these skewers up and you won't be sorry you did!

For the summer rolls, take Sagegreen's hint and use double wrappers if you are a novice like me. The secret is getting a tight roll up! The picture is from my first attempt--No one seemed to mind my lack of skill--they were all eaten up and I've gotten better at it since then!

its my favorite way to prepare and eat shrimp, without question. I was 'forced' to make this last night so that I could take pictures to post with the recipe...Its a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

This rich take on alfredo has many layers of flavor, from the heat of the spices to the smokiness of the andouille, as well as texture, from the bite of the shrimp to the creamy cheesiness of the sauce to the al dente pasta.