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These skewered meatballs are a quintessential Japanese bar food, a great drinking snack that can be turned into a larger meal with rice. Flavored with plenty of garlic and ginger and brushed with a sweet-and-savory soy glaze, these meatballs are a great defense of ground chicken, which can be bland if not seasoned well.

"It's everything I want in a salad: sweet, crunchy, and bright." —Claire Saffitz, assistant food editor

Find hot-smoked salmon, a Pacific Northwest delicacy, at specialty grocers. Erickson's favorite brand is available at lokifish.com.

Weighing down the salmon fillet with heavy cans as it cures will press excess liquid out of the flesh to ensure a firm texture.

With a texture somewhere between a latke and a pancake, these vegetarian fritters are also gluten-free. (Thanks, chickpea flour!)

Adding the veggies in phases, from longest cooking first to fastest last, guarantees the ideal texture for each.

Cooking the shrimp with their shells on helps them retain flavor; scoring them along the back lets you remove the vein and makes peeling easier. Win-win.

Perfecting this recipe required a mother-daughter collaboration. My mom started it off by cutting the kernels off the cobs, simmering the corncobs in the stock, and then scraping the cobs to capture every ounce of delicious corn flavor. Her friend Darryle Pollack taught her the trick of including potatoes and blending part of the soup to thicken it. I added warming spices like paprika and cayenne pepper to complement the sweetness of the summer corn and topped it with charred red bell peppers. Together we created a perfect soup. —Marea

When I created this Caesar salad, I did a silly dance around the kitchen. Seriously—it is that good. And the name is perfect for it. I’m betting that this Caesar salad dressing is like nothing you’ve ever tasted. It is extremely eccentric and undeniably delicious. Who would have thought that curry powder would be the perfect addition to a Caesar dressing? Not me before I took the risk of adding it—but now I am a total convert. And the nutritional yeast gives this dressing a cheese-like flavor that could please even the most omnivorous Caesar salad connoisseur. This recipe makes extra dressing that you can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Topped with our Quick Garlic Croutons, capers, avocado, and hemp seeds, this dynamic salad will delight your adventurous taste buds. —Marea

The key to crispy nachos is to limit the number of ingredients that go into the oven with the chips. These start with three essential ingredients: a dollop of homemade pinto bean dip, sliced jalapeños, and plenty of grated cheddar.

"The contrast of tender radish and crisp bacon is even better with a little cider vinegar." –Brad Leone, test kitchen manager

Clams are inexpensive, plentiful, easy to cook, and delicious. And you barely need a recipe—once they open, they're done.

The difference between this papaya salad and a Thai-style one comes down to spice and sugar, says Tanis. The Vietnamese one is sweeter and less hot. Have all the ingredients assembled, but dress the salad just before serving.

Squid is tender when it's either cooked quickly over high heat, or gently for a long time. This is the quick version.

To see step-by-step photos and detailed instructions on making these hot and crunchy filled crepes (known as banh xeo).

"A snappy breakfast radish is the perfect vehicle for this nut and spice blend." –Claire Saffitz, assistant food editor