Lunch

Grilling the bread dries it out a bit, so it can absorb more dressing.

Edward Kim’s take on the vinegary buckwheat salad called will put out the fire in your belly and wake up your palate. Crushed ice cubes on top keeps it chilled no matter the heat index, and, as they melt, add to what Kim describes as the dish’s “slurp-ability.”

Barley has nice heft and chew, but don’t feel limited—use cooked farro, quinoa, or brown rice if you prefer.

We’d serve this dressed-down chicken salad for brunch, pack it for lunch, or make it as a light dinner on a hot summer night.

This “put an egg on it” dream dish is a must-order menu item at Sqirl in Los Angeles.

The flavor of this salad deepens as it sits, and we’d use the vinaigrette on any bean salad, including green beans.

Find hot-smoked salmon, a Pacific Northwest delicacy, at specialty grocers.

Lettuce and tomatoes might be classic sandwich stuff, but this herby olive salad brings way more to the table—and it will never wilt.

Cleaning soft-shell crabs is a breeze, but you can always have your fishmonger do it for you. Just be sure to eat them the day they are cleaned, preferably in this sandwich.

With a texture somewhere between a latke and a pancake, these vegetarian fritters are also gluten-free. (Thanks, chickpea flour!)

Weighing down the salmon fillet with heavy cans as it cures will press excess liquid out of the flesh to ensure a firm texture.

Adding the veggies in phases, from longest cooking first to fastest last, guarantees the ideal texture for each.

This tortilla soup has everything you want: chicken, corn, and, of course, chiles.

Chef and author David Tanis insists on making broth for this restorative and iconic soup (pho ga) from scratch and warns against over­cooking the noodles: “They should be pretty firm and snappy, not flabby.”

Overcooked lobsters will be tough and rubbery; if yours are less than 1½ pounds each, decrease the cooking time by a few minutes.

Grilled ham and cheese: nothing to scoff at. Baked ham and cheese with velvety béchamel oozing out all over the place: mind-altering.

Does the world need another chicken salad? Yep. This mayo-free one, with herby roasted (not poached) chicken and a mustardy dressing will convince you.

The difference between this papaya salad and a Thai-style one comes down to spice and sugar, says chef and author David Tanis. The Vietnamese one is sweeter and less hot. Have all the ingredients assembled, but dress the salad just before serving.

These hot and crunchy filled crepes are known as banh xeo in Vietnam.

Strawberries and rhubarb are a power duo in pie; here raw rhubarb plays a tart counter to sweet strawberries.