Seafood

Serve these tacos with salsa, shredded lettuce, sliced avocado and black olives. Corn and black bean salad finishes the meal—except for dessert. We recommend spice cake.

Steaming, a method often used by Asian cooks, works well with delicately flavored red snapper, since the aromatics (ginger, scallion, chile) are easily absorbed by the fish.

An elegant, portable entrée. Baby greens with vinaigrette would round out the menu nicely. What to drink: A lightly oaked Chardonnay.

Ginger and sesame lend an Asian accent.

For an impressive presentation, I always set the lemon halves in red-wine glasses, because their bowls are larger than white-wine glasses. Serve extra lemons alongside.

For a complete Asian-inspired menu, prepare steamed rice, and sauté snow peas in sesame oil. Fill fresh papaya halves with coconut ice cream for a refreshing dessert.

Pescado Zarandeado Although you can broil the fish, it is at its best when cooked outside (placing the fish in a grill basket makes it easier to turn over on the barbecue). Ask the fishmonger to remove the head and scales and to clean and butterfly the fish.

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo Offer this with the Mexican White Rice cooked with two whole serrano chiles (remove the chiles before serving the rice). To devein the shrimp while leaving the shells intact, use kitchen shears or scissors to cut down the center of each shell from the head end of the shrimp toward the tail. Open the shell slightly and remove the vein using the tip of a small, sharp knife.

The flavors and juices of this Provençal-style tuna sandwich seep into the bread while it is being pressed. Serve with: Marinated green beans and herbed orzo salad.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 25 min

Rosemary sprigs double as flavoring agents and skewers in this beautiful hors d'oeuvre. Only half of the pesto is used for this recipe; toss the remainder with pasta or spread thinly on crostini or grilled chicken breasts. What to drink: Pinot Grigio.

Start the gravlax at least two days in advance (the sauce can also be prepared ahead of time, leaving just quick assembly on the day of the party). What to drink: Champagne (or sparkling wine) is a classic aperitif, and versatile enough to pair nicely with the salmon's slightly sweet mustard sauce as well as with the rich Foie Gras and Cream Eggs .

(Saumon Confit à l'Huile d'Olive, Petite Salade de Roquettes, Vinaigre de Balsamique) The idea to confit salmon is not original to me but one gleaned from kitchen gossip where recipes and experiments from chefs all over the world are discussed. I learned that many chefs were slowly cooking fish in duck fat but I thought that since salmon is so fatty to begin with, it would be better served if it was slowly cooked in something other than animal fat. Copper River salmon is my first choice for this dish but if it isn't available look for Alaska salmon. Both of them are very fatty and the fat really does make a difference as it ensures a very smooth texture in the finished dish.