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This recipe serves you summer on a dish. You will see how the tomato and roasted corn salsa pop right off the plate. While the salsa pairs beautifully with the tuna, feel free to pair it with your favorite fish or even chicken. Fast, fresh, and easy—this will soon become your quick dinner fix.

Salpicón—a shredded mixture of fish with herbs and seasonings—is traditionally made with left-over fish that is tossed with fresh ingredients and used as a filling for tacos or a topping for tostadas. I find the sauce so delicious that I like to pair it with freshly seared fish and let it stand on its own. Definitely keep the sauce in mind for times when you do have leftovers!

Although originally from the Mexican state of Veracruz, Snapper a la Veracruzana is served all over the country. Clearly Mexicans know a good thing when they see it! A light tomato broth poaches the fish, while jalapeño, capers, and olives deliver a flavorful punch. This is a great choice for a family meal or a dinner party because the sauce can be made ahead of time, leaving only the fish to simmer in it. Quick and delicious!

If you are looking for an easy and delicious recipe that can feed a crowd, you’ve found it! What’s great about this recipe is that most of the “dirty” work can be done ahead of time, leaving only the actual grilling or sautéing of the shrimp to do right before you are ready to eat. Once you see how enticing the chile-smothered skewers look on a platter garnished with fresh cilantro and lime wedges, I guarantee it will become your go-to dish. And if you are not a fan of shrimp, chicken can be substituted easily. Note: You will need eight 6-inch wooden skewers for this recipe.

I love steak salads. It must be something about the contrast in texture and temperature that I find appealing. The best steak salads give you meat that is juicy and flavorful with a charred exterior crust on the steak that goes great against the fresh, crisp lettuce. The glaze is the key to this salad because the sugars in it caramelize and create that crunchy exterior.

If there is a recipe that truly captures the scent and essence of Mexican cooking, this is it. There are so many reasons to love this soup. Besides being easy to make and healthful to eat, it offers deep, rich flavors brightened by fresh ingredients. This is a great soup to serve for company, because it is not only delicious, but the contrasting colors of the deep amber soup base and the bright green and white from the toppings make for a stunning presentation. It is also a conversation piece, because everyone can get involved in the assembly of their soup bowl.

Talk about a crowd-pleaser. This version of a fundido—a Mexican fondue—is incredibly addicting. I challenge you to walk away from this melted gooey cheese mixed with meaty chorizo and spicy poblano chile strips. It is impossible!

Quesadilla literally translates to “little cheese thing.” In Mexico, these little cheese turnovers are eaten as snacks throughout the day and can be left plain or stuffed with a filling. The filling is a combination of regional and personal preference. In all cases, these portable turnovers are quick and easy to make with ingredients you are most likely to have on hand—making them the perfect snack!

While I was studying in France, my friend Lindsay insisted I try this little crêpe place she had found. It turned out to be down a sketchy alley and I began wondering what we were doing there until I went in. The shop was filled with a number of incredibly tasty-looking items, but I decided to order these and it was all over. They were so yummy that I had to order them every time we went there (which was more often than I’d like to admit). Crêpes are easy to make, and any extras can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for up to a month.

Okay, don’t freak out when you see the ingredients on this one. Yes, grape jelly in the sauce. Trust me, they’re delicious. This is one of the recipes that my family still makes all the time and everyone loves them.

My mom thinks these might be more ’60s than ’80s, but they sound ’80s to me, so here they are. These open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches are easy to make and sure to get a comment or two from your friends.

This is another recipe I tried in France. It actually comes from the French colony of Martinique, an island in the Caribbean, which explains the coconut milk and banana combination. The coconut milk and curry are very mild and give just a hint of the Caribbean flavor. It’s scrumptious, easy to make, and a surprising change from your usual date food.

This recipe seems complicated, but it’s truly not hard to do, there are just a few steps. The good news is all the work (and mess) can be done well ahead of time. I know lump crabmeat is expensive, but don’t be tempted to use anything else. It’s still cheaper than going out to eat and your date wouldn’t be impressed by mushy crab cakes. If you are lucky enough to have a seafood store near you that carries fresh lump crab, by all means, get it fresh. Otherwise, the canned lump crab is a fine substitute.

Yes, we know that real risotto uses arborio rice, but we also know that it has to be stirred constantly for 40 minutes and that’s not a good way to impress your date. Arborio rice releases more starch as it cooks than other types of rice, making risotto very creamy. This version is still really creamy, but can be prepped ahead of time and finished in less than 15 minutes.

I know you are probably thinking, “Me make fish . . . how about No.” I promise you this dish is perfect date food, not only tasty but easy and impressive. Come on, three ingredients including the side dish. It doesn’t get any easier than that. All the seasoning comes from the cheese, so it’s foolproof and only takes about 5 minutes to get ready. Better yet, it cooks in foil so there are no pans to wash.

I know that a 4-pound chicken is more than you need for two people, but if the point is to impress your date, you don’t want to serve a scrawny little chicken. This dinner is delicious and easy to prepare, so if you are a novice, this is a fine place to start. Working with a whole chicken for the first time can be an intimidating experience, but actually there’s nothing to it. The fresh parsley and rosemary turn these all-time favorite standards—chicken and potatoes—into a sophisticated dinner.

This is a superb date dish because all of the prep can be done and the mess cleaned up long before your date arrives. Then just bake and serve. We use pork tenderloin because it is all dark meat and it stays moist even if it’s a little overcooked. With this classic combination of pork, apples, and sweet potatoes, even the most inexperienced cook can look like a pro.

Jill and I fell in love with Moroccan food while we were studying in France and had to include a dish with those amazing flavors. The cinnamon, curry, and raisins that are commonly found in Moroccan cooking combine to give this stew an unexpected depth. When all the flavors are cooked together and served over the couscous it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Lasagna is one of those dishes that sounds difficult even though it’s not. This version is particularly easy to put together because we use no-boil noodles (which are a little thinner than the normal kind) and jarred sauce, and it’s still excellent. If you like your lasagna a little spicier, you can use hot Italian sausage. Just serve this with some warm bread and you’re there.

I fell in love with this dish the first time I tried it in New Orleans. The combination of rice, tomatoes, shrimp, chicken, and andouille sausage is the epitome of Cajun cooking. This version isn’t particularly spicy, so make sure to serve it with some hot sauce on the side for more adventurous eaters.