Salmon

Slow-roasting at a very low temperature results in extremely tender salmon. The richness of the fish is accented by a salty-sweet red-wine sauce, which thickens into a syrupy glaze during cooking.

Bacon and a little cream give this chowder lashings of decadence — but, because there are no thickeners, it's surprisingly light.

Salmon are gorgeous, and a whole one — completely boned — makes a breathtaking centerpiece. A savory stuffing of roasted fennel and plum tomatoes transforms the fish into a meal in itself, complemented by a creamy basil sauce with orange zest and saffron.

In this supereasy, Japanese-inspired dish, salmon is glazed with salty-sweet hoisin sauce and served with a fresh, tangy relish of plums and ginger.

This is delicious served either warm or at room temperature.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Extreme Barbecue: Smokin' Rigs and Real Good Recipes, by Dan Huntley and Lisa Grace Lednicer. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, go to Summer Cooking Guides. Smoking whole fish on the grill is deliciously rewarding, and if you haven't tried it before, you'll be surprised at how easy it is — and quick, compared to pork or chicken. There's no brining or curing here — essentially, the fish is "baked" in a tantalizing chamber of wood smoke. Hickory will flavor the fish strongly; you may prefer a milder wood such as oak. Feel free to substitute bass, flounder, catfish, bream, crappie, or whatever good-tasting fish you have available.

This recipe was created by chef Michael Kornick of MK Restaurant in Chicago. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from chef Paul Flynn of The Tannery in Dungarvan, Ireland. Wild salmon, once so plentiful in Ireland that domestic servants could stipulate in their contracts that they should not have to eat it more than three times per week, has now become a luxury item on both sides of the Atlantic. However, when top-notch fish is available, this simple preparation is a great way to showcase it. The compound butter, with its use of raisins, harks back to the dried fruits popular in the Middle Ages, and the capers show the fondness of contemporary Irish cooks for Mediterranean flavors. Irish butter, with its high fat content, will add a particularly rich flavor, but regular American butter can be substituted.

Though Denmark travel guides characterize smørrebrød as an open-face sandwich, food editors Melissa Roberts and Maggie Ruggiero found that this national favorite is somewhere between that and an oversize canapé, with a few carefully chosen ingredients arranged generously on top (often to the point where the bread is no longer even visible). Here, whittled down to bite-size, it's an elegant hors d'oeuvre that retains the Danish spirit; caraway butter complements the classic rye base, and lightly fried beets and sweet onion are an alluring counterpoint to the smoked salmon.

Wasabi peas are dried green peas that are covered in a spicy coating made from wasabi powder. They can be found at some supermarkets and natural foods stores, and at Asian markets. Serve this dish with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice.

Creamy-tangy gribiche (a fancy version of tartar sauce) and smoked salmon add richness to the asparagus in this first course.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World by Lynn Alley. For more on slow cooking, click here. Poaching salmon, or any fish for that matter, in the slow cooker is a no-brainer. Although it isn't a traditional dish for long, slow cooking, it is one of the things that the low, even temperatures of the slow cooker does well with. Poached salmon, needing no oil to cook, makes a light lunch paired with lemon rice, steamed vegetables, and salad, or a sumptuous dinner with herbed mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables.

Get the freshest ground star anise by making your own. It's as easy as grinding a few star anise pods in a spice mill or a coffee grinder.

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.

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

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.

You'll want to use the best Scottish smoked salmon and salmon roe, available at specialty foods shops, for these pretty nibbles.