Fish

In French, the term tartine can refer to a buttered slice of bread that's topped with a spread, or an open-faced sandwich, such as the one here. Piment d'Espelette, a dried red pepper from the French Basque region, can be found online at surfasonline.com. If you can't find fresh sardines, use trout or branzino fillets instead.

Light and ultrasavory, this is a spread that's definitely worth making — it requires a minimal amount of work and tastes better than any store-bought version. And if you have any left over, you're in luck — it also tastes wonderful on bagels the next morning.

Here, the old trick of moistening scrambled eggs with cream cheese is elevated with Boursin, which also adds flavor. This makes a good brunch dish or, when served with a salad, a satisfying light supper.

This Baja treat is well known to residents of Southern California, where fish tacos have been popular since their introduction in the 1980s. The crunch of coleslaw contrasts with tender fish, and the creamy dressing is spiked with the smoky heat of chipotle chiles.

Sophisticated yet incredibly easy, this dish brings the flavors of Sicily to your table.

Cod and potato are the cornerstones of one of the classics of American cooking: fish chowder. Here they take on a new form as the basis for these distinctly New England potato pancakes.

Chef Michael Mina created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. He loves this multicomponent dish because it is the essence of summer.

You'll hardly recognize your zucchini after transforming it into both a crisp topping and a bed of vegetable "noodles."

Pesce al coriandolo in salsa di aceto
The alluring scents of coriander seeds and a whole handful of bay leaves perfume the fresh, flavorful flesh of bluefish.

Mild fillets get zing from a coating of wasabi mayonnaise.

A fresh summer catch from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, bluefish has a rich, fine-textured flesh that makes it perfect for baking, broiling, or grilling.

Straight anchovy butter can be intense (indeed, we've given a range on the anchovies, so salt fiends can indulge), but the toasted, ground fennel seeds make these crunchy hors d'oeuvres taste clean, not heavy. Roasted red peppers add a burst of juicy sweetness and a hint of smokiness.

The turbot is roasted on a thin cake of overlapping potato slices and then sauced with a simple pan sauce, garnished with tomatoes and black olives. Turbot is rarely available in the United States, but another flatfish such as a fluke or flounder makes a good substitute. You will need a mandoline or other vegetable slicer to slide the potatoes very thin. Ovenproof nonstick frying pans work best here, so the potato cakes don't stick, but if necessary you can use other 8-inch frying pans or cake pans; line them with rounds of parchment paper.

Self-crowned "BBQ Queens" Karen Adler and Judith Fertig have written more than 20 cookbooks between the two of them, including Weeknight Grilling with the BBQ Queens. Their tuna burger is infused with Mediterranean flavor and topped with a favorite New Orleans sauce.

Sweet peppers and a pleasingly salty vinaigrette enhance the meaty fish.

Adding a flavorful mayonnaise to this pan bagnat — style sandwich gives new appeal to traditional French fare.