Appetizer Recipes

Crispy fried wontons stuffed with pork, shrimp, and napa cabbage, pan-fried in peanut oil and glazed with teriyaki. Served with a sweet orange marmalade dipping sauce.

Minced squab in lettuce cups, the Cantonese classic: chopped squab stir-fried with water chestnuts, bamboo, and mushrooms in a savory oyster-soy sauce, finished with crisped skin and wrapped in crisp lettuce.

Moroccan spiced olives marinated in toasted cumin, fennel, coriander, cardamom, citrus, and garlic. Five-minute appetizer that improves for weeks in the fridge.

Mock caviar made with finely chopped ripe olives, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, and sour cream. A budget-friendly no-cook appetizer with rich, briny flavor on lettuce cups.

Filipino lumpia packed with ground pork, shrimp, mushrooms, and crunchy water chestnuts, rolled tight and fried until golden and crisp. Served hot with a tangy sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Mushroom caps stuffed with crabmeat in a creamy bechamel with Parmesan, flambeed in sherry, then topped with Gruyere and baked bubbly. An elegant appetizer for special occasions.

Microwave scalloped oysters: a holiday-table classic shortcut with shucked oysters, breadcrumbs, celery, and a splash of cream baked together in a covered casserole. Ready in 20 minutes, no oven required.

Creamy Italian seafood risotto with shrimp, scallops, shiitake mushrooms, and Roma tomatoes. Arborio rice slow-stirred with chicken broth and white wine until silky.

Beignets d'escargots: snails soaked in herbed olive oil, coated in airy egg-white batter, and fried until shatteringly crisp. A classic French appetizer worth the effort.

Layers of seasoned refried beans, cubed SPAM, chili beans, cheddar, and Monterey Jack baked until bubbly, then topped with sour cream and olives. This hot layered dip feeds a crowd with tortilla chips.

Vietnamese-style marinated cubed beef with soy-garlic marinade and a bright lime dipping sauce. Bo luc lac (shaking beef) for an appetizer with toothpicks or main dish over jasmine rice.

Savory sherry cheese puffs: bite-size choux pastries filled with cream cheese, sharp cheddar, chopped green olives, and a splash of dry sherry. A retro cocktail-party appetizer.

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.

Greek spanakopita with a savory spinach and feta filling layered between sheets of buttered phyllo for shatteringly crisp tops and bottoms. The classic Mediterranean pie cut into squares for sharing.

Seafood crepes stuff thin pancakes with poached monkfish, scallops, and shrimp bound in a garlic-infused Gruyère cream sauce, then bake until bubbling. A French bistro starter or light luncheon dish that punches well above its ingredient list.

Sautéed chicken livers with onions and mushrooms in garlicky butter, dredged in pancake flour for a crisp crust. An old-school appetizer or budget dinner over rice pilaf.