Fish

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Shrimp or sea scallops would also work well in this recipe. Serve with: Grilled plum tomatoes, herbed orzo salad, and grilled French bread.

This recipe for breiks comes from Kitty Morse, the celebrated expert on North African cuisine. She serves them with lemon and harissa paste, available at Middle Eastern Markets.

If you are using a single 12-inch nonstick skillet for this recipe, make the red cabbage and onions first. Transfer to a heated serving bowl and cover to keep warm, then clean skillet and cook salmon. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr

Leaves of thyme combine with tomatoes to create an instant sauce in this dish. The foil-packet cooking method produces wonderfully flavorful juices; serve the fish over rice to savor every last drop.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 20 min

Champagne is the perfect accompaniment for this delicate appetizer.

Bianco Another Corfiote fish recipe with an Italian-sounding name. Bianco is pungent with garlic and is called "white" because it is made without tomatoes.

Complement the entrée—and the Chinese theme—with rice, stir-fried snow peas, then pineapple sherbet topped with coconut.

The two-step method of searing and then roasting this thick fillet is what keeps the fish succulent.

"Whenever I visit my family in the Chicago area, my sister and I make a point of having lunch at Fresh Starts Restaurant in Flossmoor," says Carol De Biase-Ruffe of Arvada, Colorado. "They serve delicious, healthful food — and we're never disappointed. The last time we went there, I ordered a fish entrée topped with tomato salsa." The restaurant uses tilapia for this dish; we substituted the easier-to-find orange roughy.

Deidre A. Pallouras of Rochelle Park, New York, writes: "My husband and I recently traveled to Cincinnati, where we dined at Daveed's at 934 in Mount Adams. Although everything we ate was delicious, we were most impressed by the incredible salmon with horseradish cream. I'd love to try to recreate the dish at home."

Jamaican jerk seasoning — a blend of chiles, thyme, garlic, onion, and spices — gives the grilled fish a reddish-brown finish. It's a supermarket staple now; look for it in the spice aisle. Serve with: Rice salad and grilled squash.