151 melt recipes

Meaty sausage pizza sauce with browned pork sausage simmered in tomato sauce with oregano, mustard, and garlic. Freezer-friendly and ready in 25 minutes.

Crab and corn cakes pulse half the corn with garlic, mustard, and egg as a binder, then mix with whole corn kernels, lump crab, and scallions for pan-fried savory cakes. A summer-easy seafood appetizer.

Lexington Avenue seafood salad with shrimp, crab, peas, cucumber, and celery in a horseradish-spiked Thousand Island yogurt dressing. A lighter deli-counter-style seafood salad.

Persian lamb soup simmered with dried fruits (prunes, apricots, peaches), turmeric-browned onions, and a sweet-sour balance of brown sugar and citrus for comforting depth.

Maryland crab soup loaded with sweet lump crab meat, Old Bay seasoning, potatoes, corn, green beans, and carrots in a beef and tomato broth. The classic Chesapeake Bay vegetable soup.

Texas-style red chili made from dried chile pods pureed into a fiery sauce with browned meat, cumin, and oregano. No beans, slow-simmered for hours.

A fat-free whole wheat bread machine loaf with real popped popcorn kneaded right into the dough. Honey-sweetened with a subtle corn flavor and a surprisingly tender crumb.

Portuguese sauce blends ketchup, chili sauce, tomato juice, pickles, capers, olives, and Tabasco into a tangy zesty cocktail-style sauce. Five minutes in a blender, ready to spoon over shrimp, steak, or burgers.

Cold green vegetable soup with poached fish. Source: Olga Gorechev, St. Petersburg, Russia

Classic New Orleans crabmeat ravigote with lump crab, bell pepper, pimiento, scallions, and a bright lemon-cayenne kick. No cooking required. Ready in 20 minutes.

Reptile pot pie poaches alligator, snake, or iguana meat in a Thai-Indian curry sauce of coconut milk, fish sauce, turmeric, and coriander. Served over baby vegetables with fresh cilantro. Bold, unexpected, and surprisingly approachable.

Hungarian-style braised pork stew with paprika, caraway seeds, roasted vegetables, tomatoes, and red peppers. Slow-baked until fork-tender, served over egg noodles or rice.

Maryland-style spicy crab soup simmered with chicken wings, tomatoes, corn, and green peas. Seasoned with Old Bay-style spices and lemon pepper for that Chesapeake Bay kick.

Herb-seasoned turkey burgers with tarragon and white wine, grilled and served with a homemade barbecue sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic, and Tabasco. Makes 12 burgers for a crowd-ready cookout.

Thin-sliced cold flank steak marinated overnight in barbecue sauce and red wine, broiled, chilled, and served as a cocktail appetizer on garlic bread baguette slices.

Cocktail wieners and sausage slices are combined with a tangy and sweet sauce to create a delicious and flavorful dish for a brunch or other gathering.