Fish

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Marcus Samuelsson's book, Aquavit : And the New Scandinavian Cuisine Salads like this one are part of the Swedish smorgasbord enjoyed on special occasions such as New Year's. Called skagen in Swedish, this salad is named for a Danish fishing village across the river from Sweden. It's a very traditional dish that appears on every smorgasbord table in the country. Here is our version, which includes smoked salmon, shrimp, and crabmeat. It makes a great lunch served with crusty French bread or whole-grain crispbread.

For a more substantial meal, add cooked udon noodles to the broth.

I developed this light and tasty Italian-style tuna salad for Parma, an Italian fresh-made fast-food company that had quite a successful run in Philadelphia, including Air Parma at the airport. The salad is light because the tuna is dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice instead of the usual mayonnaise. The fresh herbs give it brightness, and the red bell peppers and purple olives make for a colorful and appetizing preparation. The important thing here is to use the tasty tuna packed in olive oil enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean region, rather than the drier, rather mealy white tuna packed in water.

You'll want to use the best Scottish smoked salmon and salmon roe, available at specialty foods shops, for these pretty nibbles.

The sweet grapes and tangy capers work beautifully with the fish.

The flavors of gravlax are used in a new and different way here. (For safety's sake, buy only the best-quality frozen fish, which may need to be ordered ahead.)

Also great with salmon or mahi-mahi. Rewarm the mashed potatoes in the microwave before using them in this recipe, adding more warm milk as needed if they are too thick.

Looking for an elegant entrée to serve on Christmas Eve? You just found it.

A deconstructed romesco sauce adds great texture to hake. Pacific cod also works well.

Three southern favorites—tender catfish, mellow roasted okra, and sweet corn—are united by an irresistible butter sauce.

Arctic char, a cousin of salmon and trout, lends itself well to almost any cooking method. We particularly love this versatile fish paired with roasted fennel.

This recipe brings smoky paprika and a jolt of briny capers to fish and chips.

Provençal-inspired, this light, brothy seafood dish will have you wondering how something so delicious could be so easy to make.

Charmoula is a tangy, spicy sauce—in this case, made with cumin, cilantro, garlic, and lemon—that's traditionally served with meat in Morocco.

Serve a chilled crisp California Chardonnay throughout the meal.