Gluten-Free

A dinner-friendly riff on a bagel with lox and cream cheese. If you’re not feeling the smoked salmon, simply omit it. 

Who said potato salad had to be boring? Or egg salad, for that matter! This deconstructed salad combines the best of both worlds, and is versatile to be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Skirt steak is one of our favorite cuts of beef—it’s flavorful, affordable, and quick-cooking. That said, it’s imperative to slice it thinly against the grain for the best texture.

If it looks good at the market, it will be good in this salad.

We modified Contramar’s whole-fish method with individual fillets, which are easier to handle—but the flavor is the same!

Never underestimate black peppercorns! Their heat sneaks up on you in this turmeric tonic.

Rib chops can be pricey. This same preparation works well on lamb loin chops, too.

True, this concoction is slightly more complex than lemonade. But so are most relationships.

Oh, the inherent stress in choosing the perfect avocado. The “ready to eat” ones can go from ripe to rotten quickly, so buy uniformly firm Hass avocados instead. Let them sit at room temperature until they have a slight give, usually a day or two (plan ahead!). This goes great with quesadillas, grilled snapper, and pork.

True, this concoction is slightly more complex than lemonade. But the work is worth it.

Cerignola and Castelvetrano olives are big, briny, meaty, and sweet. If unavailable, use other types, or simplify with just one.

Charring the tomatoes and vegetables plays up their sweetness and adds smoky, bitter notes. This goes great with quesadillas, grilled snapper, and pork.

How to choose corn: Look for tight, squeaky, green husks and rows of kernels that feel taut and full when you run your hands over the cobs.

If you have a really ripe, gorgeous watermelon, you may not need any sugar at all.

All types of beans come in and out of season during the summer and into fall; make this with any color snap beans and your choice of fresh or canned shelling beans.

Make sure to cut the onions and peppers into big pieces so that they don’t fall through the grill grates.

If you’re using a charcoal grill, you’ll want to actively monitor the heat in different spots and shift the pan this way and that as needed.

Chocolate can burn, which would ruin an otherwise impeccable sauce. Make sure to stir all the way down to the bottom of the pan after adding the chocolate and cocoa. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

A perfect cube is not essential, but try to get the lamb into roughly the same size pieces so they cook at the same rate.

Japanese shichimi togarashi is a blend of seven seasonings including chile, orange zest, and sesame seeds that can be found at Asian grocers.

Not to break your heart or anything, but good luck finding Toma, a cow’s-milk cheese. We didn’t just go rogue: Chef Cámara okayed the cheddar substitute.

The key to this adobo is truly burning the chiles and spices. Not browned, not toasted—burned. Try this at home; just open the windows and turn on the fan first.

Be patient with these; they need to stay over indirect heat the whole time to minimize flare-ups. If you try to rush them, they’ll burn to a crisp.

You can always ask your butcher to slice the pork shoulder on the electric slicer for you, which will ensure even pieces and save you time.