Salad recipes

Imitation crab salad just like the deli case: flaked surimi tossed with celery, a light mayo and sour cream dressing, Old Bay, and celery seed. A cool, creamy seafood salad for sandwiches, crackers, or a bed of greens.

Crab and avocado salad: sweet crab meat tossed in a zesty picante-mayo dressing with green olives, piled into ripe avocado halves. A no-cook, 20-minute Tex-Mex lunch or appetizer that looks far fancier than it is.

Scandinavian herring salad with pickled fish strips, crisp apple slices, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and malt vinegar marinade. A classic Nordic appetizer served chilled on lettuce.

Prawns and spinach salad tosses grilled butterflied shrimp with fresh spinach, orange slices, and red pepper in a sherry-sesame-ginger dressing. A bright, Asian-inflected main-course salad.

Pan-grilled Thai tuna salad with seared yellowfin, napa cabbage, cucumber, and a lime-sambal dressing. A 20-minute high-protein dinner for two that drinks like a cold Thai noodle salad minus the noodles.

Barbequed swordfish with a spicy tomato glaze and a Mediterranean black olive, cucumber, and plum tomato salad. A composed summer plate finished with a Dijon-chive vinaigrette for restaurant-level dinner party plating.

Yam Polamai is a Thai fruit and shrimp salad with lime, crispy shallots, garlic, peanuts, and chile. Sweet, salty, sour, and crunchy in every bite.

Chinese-style cold salad of rehydrated jellyfish shreds, crisp salted daikon and velvet-poached chicken breast, dressed with sesame oil, sherry and scallions.

Chilled coleslaw loaded with boiled shrimp in a tangy lemon-mayo dressing spiked with Worcestershire, mustard, and Tabasco. A coastal side dish that gets better overnight.

Quick and easy tartar sauce that is just like the sauce served at Red Lobster restaurants.

Marinated poached scallops served chef-salad-style over greens with hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and cheddar. A vintage seafood salad platter with a bright tarragon-vinegar dressing.

Soy-glazed seared tuna steaks over mixed greens with caramelized onions, summer squash, and a fiery orange-curry-habanero sauce. A restaurant-worthy plate at home.

Thai fish cakes with red curry paste, nam pla, chopped green beans, and fresh basil, pan-fried golden and served with a sweet-tangy cucumber salad on the side.

Grilled squid tossed with a sweet and sour cucumber salad, grilled corn, and Vidalia onions in a mustard seed and ancho vinegar marinade. A bold, restaurant-quality summer dish.

Shrimp and wild rice with a curry-vinegar dressing and fresh green onions. A light, protein-packed warm salad or dinner with nutty wild rice and tender shrimp.

Jumbo prawns butterflied and stuffed with a garlic-coriander-chicken paste, then grilled on skewers until bright orange. Served with a tangy sweet-sour cucumber salad on the side.