240 appetizer recipes

Cajun-spiced fried eggplant or zucchini gets a triple coating of seasoned flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs before hitting hot oil. Cayenne heat with a surprising powdered sugar dusting at the end.

Turkish-style cucumber and tomato salad with paper-thin onion, fresh dill, green chili peppers, and a lemon-vinegar dressing. A bright, crisp side dish.

Curried sesame sauce made with tahini, curry powder, and soy sauce. A rich, nutty vegan sauce for mashed potatoes, pasta, biscuits, or roasted vegetables.

Pimento-stuffed olives wrapped in sharp cheddar dough with a kick of cayenne, baked until golden and puffed. A retro cocktail party appetizer that never goes out of style.

Plump shrimp simmered in beer with onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, celery, and lemon, then chilled for a cold appetizer that's pure low-country flavor.

Fresh corn in a shatteringly light tempura batter, deep-fried until golden and lacy. Served with tentsuyu dipping sauce and grated daikon for a crisp Japanese-style appetizer.

A Tibetan style sauce for momos (Tibetan dumplings).

Saganaki: Greek flaming kasseri cheese pan-fried in butter, deglazed with lemon juice and cognac, and lit at the table for an "Opa!" tableside appetizer.

Oysters Mosca: chopped fresh oysters cooked down with garlic, scallions, lemon, and Romano cheese, then spooned into puff pastry shells. The classic Italian-Creole New Orleans appetizer from the legendary Mosca's restaurant.

Crispy Cuban-style fritters made from soaked black-eyed peas blended with garlic into a thick batter, fried golden, and finished with a squeeze of fresh lime. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and seriously addictive.

Vegetable momos are Tibetan steamed dumplings with mixed vegetables, tofu, ginger, garlic, and garam masala wrapped in thin dough. Vegetarian Himalayan street food, served with hot momo sauce.

Golden half-moon pastries stuffed with garlicky leeks and a hint of chili, crimped into little crescents and fried until they shatter. Afghan street food that's vegetarian, crunchy, and completely addictive.

A favorite of the Colonel was Corn on the cob and he deiced if he was going to sale it, it had to be delicious and sweet .

Use a butter substitute and make your toast look vibrant!

Classic Italian balsamic bruschetta with ripe Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and Parmesan on toasted French bread. Essential summer appetizer for tomato season.

Crispy deep-fried Australian dim sims stuffed with minced pork, prawns, cabbage, and shallots in wonton wrappers. A classic Aussie takeaway snack ready in 15 minutes. Serve with soy or sweet and sour sauce.