Appetizer Recipes

Traditional Japanese tempura with a light, crispy cold-water batter and homemade tentsuyu dipping sauce. Works for vegetables, shrimp, fish, and squid with authentic frying techniques.

Crispy golden crab and avocado fritters with salsa and green onions, fried to a crunch outside while staying creamy inside. Makes 4 dozen party-ready bites you can prep ahead.

Hot olive cheese puffs wrap briny green olives in a sharp cheddar dough with butter, flour, and a hit of paprika. Make-ahead friendly, freezer-stable, and the kind of retro appetizer that always disappears first.

Saltimbocca alla Romana: pounded veal layered with prosciutto and fresh sage, seared in butter and finished with a dry white wine pan sauce. The classic Roman trattoria dish.

Snails Sommeroise is a rustic French escargot dish: snails simmered with herbs, then browned in a savory tangle of bacon, ground walnuts, anchovy and garlic and served over a bed of wilted spinach.

Herbed cheese tarts bake as mini savory cheesecakes with cream cheese, cottage cheese, and Swiss in breadcrumb-lined muffin cups. Finished with sour cream, caviar, or olives for cocktail parties.

Tender flounder fillets baked in a sour cream and mushroom tarragon sauce, all made in the microwave in about 35 minutes. A quick, elegant weeknight fish dinner.

Microwave broccoli mushroom scallop topped with sharp cheddar and paprika. A retro side dish on the table in 30 minutes.

Golden-browned chicken simmers with plump shrimp in a velvety red wine and tomato sauce laced with garlic, Italian herbs, and fresh parsley. A rustic Italian-American showstopper for date night or Sunday supper.

Baked turkey empanadas with a flaky cornmeal crust filled with cubed turkey, cheddar cheese, and green chilies. A great way to use leftover turkey.

Crispy Indian vegetable fritters (pakora) made with a spiced chickpea flour batter with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne. Dip potatoes, cauliflower, and peppers, then fry until golden.

Oysters Bingo are lightly breaded fresh oysters sauteed golden in butter, then drizzled with a creamy pan sauce of white wine, oyster juice, lemon, and shallots.

Mexican cheese squares are a baked cheddar, egg, sour cream, and green chile appetizer cut into squares. A make-ahead party snack that also freezes and reheats beautifully.

Fried calamari done the simple way: fresh squid dredged in flour, fried golden, then hit with lemon, salt, and pepper. The classic Italian-American appetizer with no fussy batter.

Oven-fried zucchini sticks bread fresh zucchini in a whole wheat flour and cornmeal mix, then bake on a hot sheet pan until golden crisp. No deep fryer, no guilt.

Manhattan clam chowder made in the microwave with minced clams, bacon, tomato juice, and thyme. A brothy, tomato-based chowder ready in about 20 minutes.