Salmon

Wrapped with bacon, these delicious fillets self-baste during broiling, eliminating the need for a sauce.

Serve the salmon with steamed rice and edamame.

Kristi Parnell of San Marcos, California, writes: "Whether I'm cooking for my family or for company, I like to keep my recipes healthy by using lots of fresh fish and vegetables. The salmon salad is one of my favorite dishes for entertaining. The ginger-lime dressing is always a hit.

Be sure to buy the salmon with the skin on, which makes it much easier to handle as it grills. Keep in mind this is a special cut that your fish market or supermarket seafood counter may have to order. What to drink: Tom Douglas likes to pair this with a Washington State Chardonnay. Try: Columbia Crest 2002 Grand Estates Chardonnay ($11).

We prefer Nova salmon for this particular recipe because it's the mildest and least salty. Although Nova has become a general term for smoked salmon, it really describes the delicacy made from fish descended from wild Nova Scotia salmon.

This recipe serves 4 as a main course after you set aside one third of the fish (see cooks' note, below) to make the capellini with salmon and lemon-dill-vodka sauce. Otherwise, it serves 6.

The salmon is equally good served hot or cold. What to drink: Chardonnay or white Burgundy, such as Saint-Véran.

We prefer wild salmon not only for ecological reasons but for its flavor, which is more mild than that of farm raised. Although limited varieties are available year-round, peak season begins in the spring, when the fish are caught en route to their spawning rivers.

Editor's note: This recipe is excerpted from Eric Ripert and Michael Ruhlman's book the A Return To Cooking. To read more about Ripert, click here. Here salmon is poached simply in salt water and served very rare with mushrooms and a mushroom broth, along with creamy polenta. The polenta adds a starch that the salmon needs, but it is also delicate and won't overwhelm the flavors of the fish. Mushrooms and polenta are a great classical pair, and a sturdy, satisfying match for the meaty salmon.

This update on a classic terrine is made with an aromatic broth and olive oil instead of cream. If you're short on time, don't bother with the leek lining—though it is pretty, the terrine works fine without it.

Salmone Sockeye al Forno con Peperoni e Capperi Fresh wild salmon, including the late-season ones from Alaska, would be the best choice for this preparation. What to do when the season ends? Well, there are always available steelhead trout and Arctic char and, of course, farmed Atlantic salmon.

Jan Schroeder of Corvallis, Oregon, writes: "A great thing about my job is that I get to do a lot of cooking. I work for the berry industry and one of my duties is developing recipes. I often get ideas from local chefs, but it's also rewarding to see what I can come up with on my own."