Meats recipes

This recipe uses ready-made taco shells, but soft tortillas are good too.

Seafood strata layered with crab meat, oyster crackers, water chestnuts, and peas in a lobster bisque custard. Assembled the night before and baked golden for an easy brunch or dinner.

Kentucky-style burgoo soup made with mixed cooked meats, okra, lima beans, corn, and garden vegetables in a rich beef-and-chicken broth. A lighter take on the legendary Bluegrass State stew.

Savory crab quiche with a chili-cheddar pastry crust, smoky bacon, and a silky custard kissed with cayenne and dry mustard. Brunch or dinner, this one delivers.

Whole flounder stuffed with crabmeat, country ham, and sherry, baked in lemon butter until flaky and golden. A Southern coastal classic that brings the shore to your supper table.

A crustless crab quiche packed with sweet corn, Parmesan, scallions, and dill, made lighter with evaporated skim milk, egg substitute, and nonfat sour cream. All the flavor, less of the guilt.

Thai devilled crab salad stuffed into Roma tomato halves with lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice, mint, and chili. A no-cook, elegant appetizer with bold Southeast Asian flavor.

Puchero is to Mexican cooking what Pot-au-Feu is to French. The difference lies in Puchero's imaginative combination of vegetables and fruits. Since it is even more delicious the second day, this recipe will make an ample amount to serve 8 for dinner, with some left over for lunch the following day.

Vegetarian chili with dried pinto beans, TVP, meatless meat crumbles, jalapenos, and cocoa powder for depth. A hearty, plant-based big-batch chili with serious spice and body.

Low cal crab dip blended from reduced-fat cream cheese, light sour cream, sharp cheddar, fresh crab meat, and a kick of horseradish. The lighter take on a party staple, no oven required.

Blue crab cakes bound with ground water crackers and sauteed golden in butter, served with a homemade cayenne mayonnaise made with roasted red pepper, anchovies, and capers.

Seafood bouillabaisse with white fish, shrimp, oysters, and crab in a saffron-spiked tomato-wine broth. Slow-simmered base, quick-added seafood, finished in under two hours.

Patout's Cajun hot crab dip with sweated trinity vegetables, fresh crab meat, heavy cream, three peppers, and Tabasco. Bayou-style appetizer for parties and game day.

North African vegetable stew with chickpeas, fennel, zucchini, and warm spices like cinnamon and coriander. Simmered with meat and noodles, finished with fresh lemon juice.

Tender lamb stew meat braised in a fragrant blend of coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, and ginger, then finished with a swirl of yogurt and fresh lemon juice. Serve over rice for a deeply aromatic Indian curry.

Crabmeat supreme casserole with two pounds of crab in a buttery sherry cream sauce with mushrooms, pimentos, and a cracker crumb topping. An elegant make-ahead dish.