Serrano Chile

You see those dense, dark, grainy loaves? Grab 'em! They work well with this smoky iteration of avocado toast.

The nostalgic ground meat filling has obvious upgrades; the charred tomato salsa should be in heavy rotation.

Think of the heat in these chiles not as a dare but as another essential building block of flavor—right alongside salt, acid, and fat.

This colorful salad packs a bit of heat by adding the jalapeño; it balances out the cooler flavors, but feel free to omit it.

Combined with coconut milk, it’s the base for your next Thai curry.

Let’s put it this way: If you like salsa verde, you’ll love charmoula, a spiced marinade central to Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan, and Tunisian cooking. 

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

Smoked pork hocks don’t just add meatiness and body to this chile verde recipe; they release smoky, salty notes as they cook, seasoning the beans in the process.

When using preserved lemons, scoop out the insides and only use the peel.

The more chiles you use, the closer you’ll come to the tear-inducing flavor of the dish as it’s served at Thai-Khun.

This recipe from Thai-Kun makes a generous amount of sauce, which you may find yourself finishing (we won’t judge). Any leftover would be great on everything from white rice to noodles to…well, more bread.

“When I was getting married, I couldn’t think of a caterer I wanted to use,” says chef Naomi Pomeroy, Expatriate, Portland, OR, “and I didn’t want to ask my staff.” Her solution? Cook for her guests herself. She went with super-simple chicken, powered by a throw-together marinade.

Waste not, watermelon lovers: This Southern pickle deserves a spot in your fridge. It's great alongside grilled pork chops, but we'd happily snack on it right out of the jar.

“These are inspired by an ‘egg shooter’ at NYC’s Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar.” –Allie Lewis Clapp, food editor

We like to serve this main with couscous, rice, or grilled bread to sop up all of the shrimp’s intensely flavored cooking liquid.

Compound butter is a great way to get flavor into a roast chicken. Here's a Thai-inspired version

A spicy, tangy option for anyone who loves to put mayo on burgers.

You can reheat this ooey-gooey queso fundido dip in a skillet, or keep it warm in a fondue pot. Save this recipe for your next taco night.

This hot sauce recipe is made with just three ingredients: chiles, vinegar, and salt.