Fish

Inspired by classic Greek flavors, this warm salad is balanced with zesty lemon, tangy feta, tender salmon, and sweet spring vegetables.

All your favorite classic Italian flavors plus a hit of fresh mint make these braised artichokes an absolutely irresistible spring side.

A quick marinade infuses the salmon with sweet, herbaceous flavor and transforms it into a stunner of an entrée.

Stuffing halibut fillets with zesty pesto is faster than marinating, but just as flavorful.

If you can’t find yuzu kosho, combine 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. orange juice, and a pinch each of finely chopped serrano and kosher salt.

This dish is one of my favorites for the grill. If a fish comes whole from the store, leave the head and tail on when you cook it, to help retain moisture. The fish is done when the inside of the stomach is dry.

Puntarelle is a crisp, spiky Italian green related to chicory. If you can get it, you’re in luck. If not, escarole is a great substitute.

The fennel seeds turn into an aromatic, crunchy crust on the skin.

I like this one because it's a one-pan dish—you will need a pan with a lid. You can use a can of tomatoes instead of making the purée if you wish, but puréeing the tomatoes produces a better result. You don't need to be precise with the quantities for this dish at all—a handful of cherry tomatoes, add some onion, etc. The important thing is to have the lid to keep in steam and heat so you get a very nice lightly cooked fish. You don't want to overcook it. I've used hake but you can use any white fish like cod, sea bass, halibut or even salmon. It's simple but tasty, and the kind of thing you could easily rustle up for yourself or friends. You can use any green veg but it works well with fennel—sautéed in a pan or slow-baked, or added to the pan and cooked with the fish and tomatoes. This is a great one for a novice cook.

Chicken, seafood, glass noodles, and vegetables get briefly poached in dashi-based broth. Cutting the ingredients into uniform pieces ensures they cook in the same amount of time.

Try this drizzled over roasted potatoes or as a sub for mayo in chicken salad.

Luscious salmon glazed in a mixture of sake, mirin, and soy sauce.

A lot of people assume that being healthy means that red meat is off the menu. But I'm delighted to say that it's very much on mine. That said, I am a stickler for ensuring that the meat we eat is of the highest quality and that it is always paired with an abundance of vegetables. Plants are always my main focus, but a little bit of good-quality meat here and there has worked best for me. I have tried being vegan and vegetarian but my health suffered during those phases. We are, after all, omnivores and so, unless you have a specific dislike of, issue with or reaction to meat, I think it's a food group that has an important role in our diet. If you like carpaccio, this recipe also works incredibly well with the beef served raw and very finely sliced.

Roman cauliflower (also known as Romanesco) grows as a peculiar spiky, conical head, and instead of florets as in regular cauliflower, it projects cones with tiny cones upon cones—a kind of fractal of nature's making. It comes in various hues of white, purple, and green and has a nutty, more intense flavor compared with regular cauliflower. Unfortunately it's not always easy to find in many stores in the US, though sources like farmers' markets often carry it, as do Italian specialty shops. You can substitute standard cauliflower for this if you can't find the Roman variety. It breaks into florets and cooks the same way.