Seafood

We found that 1 green chile was enough, but add more if you like things fiery.

Xinxim de Galinha We debated whether to simmer or boil the coconut milk for this dish, fearing flavor loss or curdling. We ended up adding it at room temperature, with great results.

In this elegant introduction to dinner, oysters are paired with Champagne grapes, whose sweet juice balances the sharpness of the vinegar in the mignonnette.

Of all the great American cookouts, surely the lobster bake, known outside of Maine as the clambake, is the most dramatic. The technique, learned from the original Americans, uses a steaming pit either dug in the sand or made from natural rock formations to cook a wide variety of ingredients without relying on forged pots and pans. The presentation, the most spectacular I have ever seen, is a ten-foot-tall burst of steam released upon removal of the tarp. As the steam subsides, bright red lobsters facing back to back on dark green rockweed come into view. Sweet corn surrounds the lobsters. Underneath the seaweed lie buried treasures: soft-shell clams, rock crabs, a whole fish, mussels, periwinkles, potatoes, boiling onions, sausage and hen or duck eggs. The sights and smells are intoxicating. The lobster bake, much more than a dish or even a feast, embodies a day filled with the wonders of water, fire, food, family and friends. The most important rule to remember to ensure the festive spirit of a lobster bake is that all who partake must share in the preparation. A lobster bake is an all-day affair, so bring along a midday snack and plenty of beverages. You will also need lots of butter, bread or rolls, salt, pepper, Tabasco and spicy mustard. For dessert, bring watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, berries and other fresh fruits as well as homemade pies. In Maine, blueberry pie is as good as mandatory.

This recipe adapts a classic outdoor clambake for the stovetop. The ingredients are steamed together in mesh bags that fit easily into a large lobster pot. Although the beauty and drama of unveiling an outdoor clambake cannot be duplicated, this method produces a mingling of flavors that's nearly indistinguishable from the original. "At my Summer Shack restaurants, we literally sell thousands of these indoor clambakes each week," says White. Clambakes vary up and down the New England coast. In Maine you might find chicken and hotdogs, on Cape Cod a whole fish, in other places crabs. One famous clambake held for over 100 years by the "Friends" from Allen's Neck in Westport, MA, features tripe that's braised and wrapped in little foil packages. "In this recipe," says White, "I add Portuguese sausage, which is common around the 'South Coast' area of Massachusetts and Rhode Island." Read more about White and clambakes >.

Swordfish or lamb —guests can choose just one kind of kebab or both. (Chicken can be substituted for the lamb, if you prefer.) The same quick marinade flavors the kebabs, then gets reduced to a sauce for serving alongside.

This elegant dish would be lovely for lunch. What to drink: Something light and fruity, like Sancerre or rosé.

Improv: Try other meaty fish fillets such as halibut, swordfish, or tuna. Replace mixed herbs with mesclun.

Enjoy a taste of the islands with these healthful, low-fat tostadas.

This combination is inspired by the creamy sauce for vitello tonnato, but uses sardines rather than tuna for a more lively fish flavor.

Pair this surf-and-turf dish with white rice to soak up the delicious rock-shrimp sauce — a quick and easy variation on Marcella Hazan's pink shrimp sauce (from "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"), which she serves over pasta.

Gravlaks — fish cured with salt, sugar, and dill — is usually made with salmon, but we like the milder flavor of arctic char for this particular dish. Keep in mind before starting to cure your fish that you will need to turn it every 12 hours for a total of 36 hours.

To make your cocktail party more participatory, have your guests grill their own skewers. A hibachi is even more user-friendly than a grill, since the ends of the skewers hang out over the edge, eliminating the need for tongs. If you're cooking everything yourself, it's easiest to use a large grill or a broiler (see cooks' note, below) and serve the skewers in batches.

Instead of calling for slices of roast veal—which would take some work—I went for white-meat turkey, an easily found option (I bought mine at a deli), and one that doesn't differ all that much in taste and texture from cold veal.

You can't fling a chopstick in this übertrendy Japanese eatery without hitting at least one celebrity: Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Liv Tyler, George Clooney — the list goes on. The best of the beau monde enjoy a variety of fresh fish (raw and cooked) in a soothing Zen setting. This recipe may have a higher percentage of calories from fat than other fish dishes, but it's mostly the healthy kind.