Fish

I love to cook with ingredients that might otherwise be discarded, like fish collars. If you’re tempted to treat them as scraps, please don’t throw them away or use them merely for a stock. They’re delicious as the main focus of a dish—think of them as the spareribs of the sea. Here, croaker collars are marinated in citrus, chipotle, ginger, and fish sauce, and served with a mango salad full of funk, spice, and crunch.

In chef Matty Matheson’s riff on the Nashville hot fish sandwich, crispy golden fish fillets get smothered in a smoky chile butter and layered with onions, pickles, and cheese.

In this recipe, every single grain of rice gets coated in egg yolk and fries up perfectly distinct and chewy. Think of this method as a canvas for mixing in different ingredients and flavors—just don't skip the furikake.

This isn’t your average Caesar salad. Here, the chicken gets smothered in Caesar dressing then roasts until the garlic, anchovies, and mustard become deeply caramelized and flavorful.

Cube your salmon and roast it at high heat for a perfectly charred exterior and tender, flaky interior. The creamy marinade in this recipe brings flavor, while also keeping the salmon moist.

Fish and chips, when done well, is a cornerstone of British culinary success. It can be wrapped in old newspaper and eaten at the beach with a wooden fork with the same fervor and joy as a finely dined fish and chips served on white china with an expensive bottle of Chablis next to it. That comforting combination of carb and fish protein can be seen in many other cultures too. (Fish tacos, anyone?) So why wouldn’t Ghana have its own version?

This dish is inspired by a classic Cantonese preparation, which is traditionally battered and deep-fried. Here, the fish is pan-seared in hot oil, but still gets plenty of texture and flavor from ginger, caramelized scallions, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Fresh salmon makes these ginger and scallion-laced burgers luscious and flavorful. Pile them high with peppery watercress, crunchy cucumber quick pickles, fragrant mint, and cilantro.

Pork tacos al pastor may get the fame, but this fish al pastor deserves plenty of glory. A potent chile marinade adds lots of flavor before the fillets hit the grill, and a pineapple salsa is the perfect finishing touch.

Nothing against pan-frying fish to get that crispy skin, but cod and other whitefish shine brightest when nestled into a rich bed of aromatics and steamed to tender flakiness.

The truth is, there’s a time and a place for whole-wheat pasta. Its nutty, earthy flavor isn’t the best match with a light tomato sauce, but it works quite well with bolder ingredients like capers and anchovies, which can stand up to the pasta’s wholesomeness. Hearty vegetables pair well, too. Here, broccoli is cooked down and transformed into an extra-chunky, extra savory sauce. For even more texture, grated cheese is swapped for toasted bread crumbs. In Italy, they’re known as pan grattato, or “grated bread,” as peasants once used them as a cheese replacement on their pasta because they couldn’t afford the real deal. Nowadays both are easily within reach, but the crunch they add here makes it easy to leave the Parmesan behind.

Chef Lucas Sin of Junzi taught us this technique for fried rice in which every single grain is coated in egg yolk and fries up perfectly distinct and chewy.

Seasoning just-cooked rice with a mix of rice vinegar, salt, and sugar turns it into a dynamic side you'll want to snack on right out of the pot.

Flatfish is ideal for grilling if you cut it into wide planks but leave the skin and bones intact. The skin insulates its tender meat during grilling, and the bones help keep the pieces together.