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The combination of salmon and whitefish is delicious (and pretty). A few tablespoons of horseradish give a real kick to the sauce. To adjust the heat to your taste, add the horseradish a little bit at a time.

This lovely frittata can be served warm or at room temperature.

There's pure asparagus flavor in each bite of this elegant tart.

Serve with toasted country bread.

In this appetizer, the spicy squid and the cooling relish are wrapped in betel (pronounced "beetle") leaves, which have a slightly bitter taste. If you can't find betel leaves, Boston or romaine lettuce leaves make a good substitute.

Frigitterie, found all over Palermo, means things fried, and the selections are endless. Breaded eggplant, broccoli, artichokes—all of the vegetables in season are coated with a flour paste (pastella) and find their way into a fryer. In Palermo, one of the undisputed specialties is panella, made of chickpea flour and cooked like polenta, chilled, and then cut into thick slices that are fried in olive oil. Fried panelle are eaten as is, or multiple slices are piled in a sesame bun and enjoyed as a big sandwich. Panelle can make a great accompaniment to fish or meat, but everybody loves them passed around as an hors d'oeuvre. Convenient to prepare in advance, they can be cooked up in a big batch, left to cool in the sheet pan, then refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can cut out a few panelle and fry them for a snack or side dish whenever you want. If you're serving bite-sized panelle for a cocktail party, I suggest you fry all the pieces ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven before your guests arrive.

Baking the crust first keeps it from getting soggy beneath the toppings.

When cooking shrimp in boiling water, 2 minutes does the job. Overcooking toughens them.

Rough-hewn elegance is the name of the game here. The mild, clean-tasting snails and the bosky mushrooms share a yielding texture, and the cream sauce (relax, you're in Normandy, remember?) sparkles with fresh herbs.

With an earthy flavor punctuated by hints of orange and a smooth, velvety texture, this soup is perfect as a simple weeknight supper or as a starter for an elegant party.

Thin green beans add ribbons of color as well as bite to a celeriac rémoulade.

This salad shows how bitterness, punctuated with a zingy vinaigrette, can be supremely refreshing.

This is a great spring salad with two long, lovely green vegetables that have a real affinity for each other. It is delicious as an antipasto or a first course, or as a side dish to grilled meat and fish. You can serve this salad chilled, but I like it at room temperature. If you haven't poached scallions before, be sure to note how nicely it brings out the flavors in a mellow way.

You don't need to get fancy with bouillabaisse. This version of the French fisherman's stew liberates you from having to buy up the entire fish counter—just choose any two or three of the fish and shellfish options listed below.

Homemade croutons add crunch to this smoky, spicy soup.

This fresh salad could be served family-style with the rest of the meal or as a plated first course.