Shellfish

If paella escaped from Spain, sailed to China, and did some soul-searching along the way, you’d have the namesake dish at Chicago’s Fat Rice. The generous pot of aromatic rice, curry-scented chicken, and (much) more can be traced back to Macau, the former Portuguese colony in China, where it’s almost always served at home. Chefs Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo took inspiration from foreign-language cookbooks; their version is a blend of Portuguese and Chinese cooking that Conlon calls “the origin”…

A saucy dish for those who don’t mind eating with their hands. Serve with plenty of crackers or bread for sopping up every last bit of the delicious liquid, and extra napkins, too!

Blanched garlic, which is sweet and mild, is blended with briny clam liquor and olive oil to make a creamy white sauce for this unconventional pizza.

This dish is only as good as the crab it’s made with; buy the best you can get.

Claw or tail? Butter or mayo? What about that bun? Michael Paterniti seeks the ultimate lobster roll in Maine--not that any locals will agree with him

Cooking on a bed of salt helps evenly conduct the hight heat and infuse the shrimp with seasoning.

Serve the shrimp on toast to soak up the delicious pickling liquid.

Using the best and freshest crabmeat you can get your hands on makes all the difference in these lightly battered and totally addictive fritters.

Granny Smith apples are ideal for this dish: Their sweet-tart juice complements the rich scallops, and they keep their shape when cooked.

Serve these spicy shrimp over greens or on their own as a pre-dinner snack.

New potatoes are freshly dug and have tender skins; wash them gently so that they don't tear. If they're hard to find, any small potato or fingerling variety will work.

Hearty escarole maintains its volume when cooked, which makes it a great choice for a quick sauté with shrimp.

Chef Viet Pham at Forage in Salt Lake City says: “For maximum flavor, I like to toast the nuts until they’re almost burnt.”

Saganaki, a traditional Greek preparation named after the pan in which it’s prepared, is best served straight from the skillet, with plenty of toasted bread for scooping up the savory tomato sauce. If you can find them, wild American shrimp and high-quality Greek feta really make this dish special.