Seafood

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Perfect Parties, by Linnea Johansson.

Bruising the spices means to almost—but not quite—crush the whole spice seeds or pods. By pressing on the spices with a pestle or the side of a knife, you release the natural oils, making the seasonings more flavorful.

Firm, meaty whitefish fillets stand up beautifully to a double helping of tangy horseradish—first in a crisp panko breading, then in a quick, flavor-packed rémoulade that tops off the dish.

A dish that may help prevent cancer, from Chan Le at Le Colonial in Chicago.

These plump, fried hors d'oeuvres, a seafood variation on Chile's signature baked onion-and-meat-filled empanadas, are hot and juicy. Have plenty of napkins ready.

This South Indian dish—also known as xec-xec—is full of tamarind, cumin, coriander, and roasted coconut. The spices meld with the tomato to form a flavorful sauce that clings to the shrimp.

Your market basket loaded with produce, olive oil, and fish, you saunter home to your idyllic farmhouse and marinate the vegetables. The following evening, you invite your friends over. Berets optional.

Fiery Buffalo sauce gives buttery salmon tanginess and heat, while a sprinkling of breadcrumbs lends a satisfying crunch.

Visually, this dish speaks softly, but it combines quite a number of sensations: a buttery fish, sautéed for a crisp skin, and a broth of such depth you'll never believe it was simmered for just five minutes. The mixture of enoki and shimeji mushrooms looks gorgeous and lends a meatiness, punctuated by an elusive woodsy smokiness, to the sansho-flecked broth.

That distinctive quality of ume-shiso—the tart-and-salty combination of umeboshi (pickled plums) and green shiso, an exuberantly undefinable fresh herb—really enhances the juicy sweetness and char of grilled shrimp and the faintly radishy crunch of daikon.

Our Australia correspondent, Pat Nourse, attended the Sydney Seafood School. The combination of flavors here is quintessentially Australian, inspired by far-flung sources and joined together in a unique way. The brininess of preserved lemons brings out the sweetness of the king crab you'll find in each twirl of pasta.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com . I use this technique to grill one of my signature dishes, pancetta-wrapped trout. I stuff the fish with fresh tarragon, wrap it mummy-style in pancetta (uncured Italian bacon) and serve it with a simple mesclun salad for a winning meal off the grill.

This simple dish from Good Things Café is named after the British novelist.

These savory pies are filled with fish instead of the traditional squab.

These tacos don't come from a particular town or restaurant; rather, they incorporate elements from many different Yucatán grill masters. The preparation may look complicated, but it's actually pretty easy—because your guests assemble the tacos themselves.

Tikinxic—Yucatán's ubiquitous grilled fish—gets a double wallop of flavor: first from a recado rojo (fire-red achiote marinade), then from a wrapping of banana leaves, which help keep the fish moist, prevent it from sticking to the grill, and add their own unique taste.

Frozen puff pastry makes a quick and easy crust for this modern take on pizza.