Shrimp

Indulgence on a platter: Lobster, shrimp, scallops, and crab legs make one impressive presentation. (Ask the market to cut the lobster tails and crab legs in half lengthwise for you.) A selection of sauces adds to the party fun.

With authentic Asian flavor, this soup is a perfect light supper.

The citrusy dressing makes this dish a standout, and there's plenty extra to be sopped up with rice or crusty bread. Cooking shrimp in their shells keeps them juicy and tender. It all makes for casual finger food that requires plenty of napkins — which is part of the fun.

They're inspired by lobster rolls, but we think you'll find these sandwiches more popular with a crowd of all ages — not to mention more affordable and easier on the cook.

This riff on traditional pasta salad gets an added layer of flavor from golden pearls of toasted couscous.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase and are part of our story on Mardi Gras.

Jhinga Mangaloree This dish is from the southern Indian coastal state of Karnataka, where seafood is an important part of the diet. The shrimp has extraordinary flavor. I sometimes vary the recipe by adding 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut along with the mustard seeds, or 2 to 6 chopped small fresh green chiles with the scallion. Serve with green chutney or lemon wedges, lemon rice, and a raita.

Our appreciation of peri-peri prawns comes from Mozambique, where these shellfish are cooked in the traditional Portuguese style.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Tyler Florence's Eat This Book. To read more about Tyler Florence and to get his tips on throwing a Super Bowl party, click here. There's a restaurant in Barcelona off la Ramblas — the "walking district" — called Las Turcoles, which means charcoal. You walk down an unassuming cobblestone street and into an even more unassuming bar. To get to the restaurant you walk through the kitchen where there are fifteen Spaniards standing around a train-engine of a coal-fed stove. The place looks and smells like Spain at its finest: paprika, chorizo, hams, and garlic. I knew I was in the right place when I got to the bottom of my dish. The rice was toasted and crunchy, like a perfect paella should be. Using a method called socarrat, the chefs crank up the heat under the rice really high once it's cooked through, until they smell the rice begin to toast, and then shut it off. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted.

The trick: Sear in juices.
For her Southwestern Shrimp Soft Tacos, Jacki Pearson, executive sous-chef at Green Valley Spa in St. George, Utah, turns on the high heat to lock in the marinade and the shrimp's natural flavors — with hardly any oil. Use this technique with thin cuts of pork, beef, or poultry, too: Toss a piece of meat into an extra-hot pan and sear both sides (a minute or two) until a golden crust forms and meat cooks through.

Wrapper's delight: two paper pouches, eight shrimp, 10 minutes — dinner! Take a lowfat cooking tip from French-born Alain Ducasse, whose New York City restaurant, Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, is among the world's swankiest. Ducasse has perfected a simple method of cooking in a paper pouch, which uses trapped steam — not fat — to seal in flavor. In this recipe he teams shrimp with apples and cheese for a trio of seductive tastes. Tuck the ingredients into parchment-paper hearts, pop them in the oven and prepare to fall in love.

Who you callin' shrimp? Livened up with garlic, naturally low-calorie shellfish delivers big-time flavor in this recipe adapted from Remi-to-Go restaurant in New York City. The cannellini beans and celery give the salad a fiber kick for a filling combo.

It's fast and fabulous.

Hello, New Orleans! Mark Twain once said, "New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin." Speaking nutritionally, meat-heavy jambalaya is a misdemeanor. But toss in chicken instead of andouille sausage and pick a leaner cut of ham — keep the shrimp, of course — and you can dine with a clear conscience. Use brown rice instead of white and be generous with the veggies, and one bowl will provide 4 grams of fiber and 20 essential vitamins and minerals. Pretty impressive for a Fat Tuesday feast.

Fat Tuesday made skinny
Everyone knows that Self-control is the antithesis of Mardi Gras tradition. But you can put a skinny spin on a Fat Tuesday celebration. Serve this spicy seared-shrimp-and-rice dish in place of a higher-fat Creole specialty like jambalaya or gumbo. The protein-packed meal is so tasty, it seems indulgent — and so healthy that you can let that Self-control slip in some other area (like dessert!).

To round out the meal: a whole-wheat roll with 1 tsp butter or trans-fat-free soft-tub margarine; 4 oz white wine or juice spritzer; 2 gingersnaps

Want to feel alert and energized? Repeat after us: protein, protein, protein. Here's a way to get lots of it, with very little saturated fat. (For an equally high-energy vegetarian version of this dish, substitute 12 ounces firm tofu, drained and cut in 1-inch cubes, for the shrimp.)

No time to make a healthy dinner? "I love to cook for myself," says Jennifer Garner, the costar of Fox's Time of Your Life television series. "It's my stay-healthy secret. Making a simple dinner actually calms me down after a harried day. Often I'll spend Sunday nights cooking and then use the leftovers for lunch that week. Right now, I'm really into cooking with orzo. It's a light, rice-shaped pasta that fills me up. I especially love this recipe because the orzo goes well with the shrimp and veggies and it's quick and easy to make."

Pasta's reputation — restored! With the bad press that pasta's been getting in these carb-phobic times, you may have given it up entirely. The truth is, pasta is only a problem when the noodles make the meal. The trick is rounding it out with healthy add-ins. Here, Whole Foods Markets' executive chef Steven Petsevsky has tossed in a day's supply of vegetables; they supply lots of vitamin C and good-for-you phytochemicals — plus fiber. Shrimp adds a kick of protein, and a handful of fresh herbs makes all the flavors sparkle. Self's testers' verdict: yum.