Shrimp

Jasmin is a piece of work. Her single-word name only enhances her celebrity status. She's the chef/proprietor of her eponymous quintessential beach hut restaurant on the northern tip of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand. A tall, sexy native with long jet black hair and flowing silk dresses, she's as sharp as a razor blade and intimidating as hell. If you ask her a question, she stops, squints her eyes dubiously, and raises an eyebrow. She's the Queen Bee here. Her worker bees are the little barefoot gypsy kids who live on the beach, the happiest kids I've ever seen. They take her orders, serve her food, and assist her in effortlessly knocking out the freshest and most delicious Thai dishes around—her clientele buzzes in from every surrounding island. "Just bring us whatever you'd like" (I try to skip the questions). I'll kick back with a Singha and watch those iconic longtail boats pull up with ice crates of screamingly fresh local fish, and I'm eating perfectly executed delicacies fifteen minutes later. Here's a woman who is truly about abundance, joie de vivre, and a spirit so vibrant that it inspires everyone. A true domestic goddess. She graciously taught me this classic in her (outdoor) kitchen on the beach.

The difference between good and bad tempura is the batter—the goal is a light, crisp coating that doesn't absorb oil when fried. There are several important steps for achieving this texture: 1). Don't overmix the batter. When you stir in the water, mix very gently just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don't attempt to work out the lumps, or the batter will become heavy. 2). Be sure the water you mix in is very cold. This will make a cold batter that will remain light when fried. 3). Mix the batter just before frying. Making it ahead will produce a heavy coating. 4). Dry the shrimp and veggies well before dipping them in the batter. This will help the batter adhere. 5). Be sure the oil is the proper temperature. If it's not hot enough, the batter will absorb oil before it cooks and the result will be greasy tempura. Tempura is traditionally served with boiled soba noodles and shredded carrots or daikon radish.

Dotted with bits of vegetables and seafood or meat, savory pancakes are both a popular side dish on the Korean dinner table and a beloved street-food snack. To make them more elegant, we’ve kept these crisp, colorful pancakes on the small side so they can be easily picked up with chopsticks and eaten in a few bites.

At his restaurant, Ford's Filling Station, in Culver City, California, Ben Ford says he strives to serve "things that you don't necessarily identify with traditional comfort food but that give all the [same] nourishment." This signature recipe for flatbread—a very thin "pizza" with sweet shrimp, white bean hummus, melted leeks, caramelized onions, and a scattering of sharp cheese—is comforting and satisfying yet anything but bland or conventional.

This Lowcountry-style dinner—shrimp with saucy black-eyed peas and smoky bacon—is worthy of a glass of sweet tea.

Shrimp and andouille sausage give these pot pies a Cajun flair. To keep the pastry crisp, the dough is baked separately from the filling.

Much of gumbo's complex richness comes from the very dark roux (a cooked mixture of flour and, in this case, oil) that thickens the soup. The longer the roux cooks, the darker and more flavorful it—and the finished dish—will become. This recipe calls for cooking the roux for about 15 minutes, but for an even stronger flavor, it can be cooked for up to 30 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Filé powder, an iconic ingredient in Cajun and Creole cooking, is made from ground sassafras leaves. It's available in the baking aisle of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores. It should be added to each individual portion just before serving, or the gumbo will become stringy.

"It's time for a little history lesson. Listen well. Some say that the word jambalaya came from the French word jambon for ham, the African ya meaning rice, and the Acadian phrase à la. And you must understand that there are brown jambalaya's, made by caramelizing and browning the onions and meats, and red ones, made by adding tomatoes. There are as many recipes for jambalaya as there are for gumbos in Louisiana. Personally, I like a bit of tomatoes in mine; I think it gives it a nice flavor. But I'll let you taste, and then you can make up your own mind," Eula Mae says. Jambalaya is also one of those popular Louisiana dishes that are very apropros for dining on the water. It's a one-pot meal, but you can serve it with a nice green salad and French bread. When you're browning the chicken and ham, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. That gives the jambalaya a good flavor.

A savory soup with ginger, saffron, and curry.

Wake up your taste buds with this lowfat recipe. It is sure to satisfy — and provide a spicy kick!

This nontraditional spin-off of an old-fashioned favorite makes a fun dinner-party appetizer plate or main course for more intimate gatherings.

In this marriage of give and take, shallot-dill butter makes jumbo shrimp taste as sweet as langoustines. In return, the shrimp impart their juices to the butter as they bake, creating a silky sauce. With toasted brioche in hand, you’ll want to sop up every last drop.

The tradition of Sicilian cooking is well documented in Anna Tasca Lanza’s works, and she is the zen mistress of all of the island’s fascinating food lore. Her school at Regaleali winery is one of the best I have visited and it was an experience to cook shoulder to shoulder with a modern national treasure. This is a variation on a dish from her first book, Flavors of Sicily.

You can tell this recipe hails from a tropical environment because of the way the first bite of chiles causes a light sweat to break out on your brow. Then a breeze blows by, and— ahh—you're instantly cooled off and refreshed, able to fully enjoy the sweetness of plump shrimp and an evolving harmony of spices.

This is the sort of food that seems too messy for a picnic. But a jar captures the juicy flavors of a Mexican shrimp cocktail.

Tzatziki is a popular Greek sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and dill. Here we've subbed in shallots for garlic and used it to top skewers of shrimp. Serve any leftovers with pita chips, as a substitute for mayo on roast chicken sandwiches, or as a sauce for grilled lamb.

These saucy shrimp spiked with cinnamon, allspice, and feta quickly disappeared in our test kitchen. Have plenty of bread on hand for sopping up the juices.