Seafood

(BAGNA CAUDA) The name of this warm dip of melted butter, olive oil, anchovies and garlic means "hot bath." It is usually accompanied by raw vegetables. Pour a dry white Arneis or a Gavi with this.

Romesco sauce, a piquant mixture of chilies, nuts, and tomatoes, is a typical seasoning for seafood in the Catalan province of Tarragona. Although fresh coriander is not an ingredient found in the traditional Spanish pantry, its flavor lends a nice touch to this dish.

Market tip: All rainbow trout sold in markets are sustainably farm-raised.

Alice Marcus Solovy of Skokie, Illinois, writes: "When I was 12 years old, my mother taught me how to make my first pie crust. My father said it tasted just like his grandmother's, and I was very flattered. That's basically the story of how I started cooking. After almost a lifetime in the kitchen, I still enjoy playing around with recipes. I've even been known to go out to dinner, taste a certain dish, and then re-create it at home in a few tries."

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 12 hr Before you start this recipe, make sure there's room in your refrigerator for a 24-inch fish poacher and a 25-inch platter.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr Don't use water-packed tuna for this recipe — it's too bland for the filling. Tuna packed in olive oil, however, will make for empanaditas that taste genuine. Especially with a glass of Fino Sherry.

Grape tomatoes are smaller than cherry tomatoes. If you’re using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half for this dish.

Yuuan Yaki The meaty flavor of oily fish such as Spanish mackerel, pompano, or swordfish stands up nicely to this marinade. If you prefer milder-flavored fish, try cod or bass.

Chayote (often mistaken for a squash) is a fruit with a cucumber-like taste and texture. The sweet-spicy balance of this appetizer goes well with Sauvignon Blanc or beer.

When WABC-TV visited gourmet's test kitchens several months ago, the cameraman, Fred Mason of Teaneck, New Jersey, said we had to try his Bermuda fish chowder. He usually makes it for a crowd—you should double the recipe if you want to serve this robust fish stew at a party. Though cooking seafood for a long time may seem unusual, it is traditional for a Bermuda-style chowder, and we think you'll agree with Mason (and with us) that this chowder is first-rate. The special pepper sauce that completes the dish will transport you to the island. In Bermuda, fish chowder is spiked with local rum—usually Gosling's Black Seal. And the finishing touch is Sherry pepper sauce, a Bermudian condiment. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Puerto Nuevo, a seaside village in Baja California, Mexico, is famous for its Pacific spiny lobster. For food safety, be sure to broil the lobsters immediately after they have been boiled and split. What to drink: Assorted chilled Mexican beers.

Look for Gold or Strawberry papayas. Their sweet flavor complements this tangy crab salad beautifully.

When fresh wide rice noodles are stir-fried, they are called fun. Fresh rice noodles have to be pulled apart and fluffed before cooking.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Pasta allo Scoglio) Tuscany is not famous for its seafood dishes, but fantastic fresh fish and shellfish are available all along the coast. A scoglio is a rocky seashore, and in the traditional pasta allo scoglio, only shellfish from the rugged Mediterranean seaside can be used in the sauce. Many kinds of fish are included in the various renditions prepared up and down the Tuscan coast today. Watch how to clean and prepare shellfish and how to make your own pasta.