Cod

This light and brothy stew is just the thing for crisp autumn nights.

Puffed and pulverized wild rice is the new breadcrumb, coating any meaty white fish you like in a nutty, crispy exterior.

Missing those fried fish tacos you had that one time at a shabby little beach restaurant in Southern California? Or the fish-and-chips from the chipper? Yeah, me too. The nice thing about this recipe is you can fry up a batch easily—no deep-fat fryer required. The batter is made with quinoa flour and gets added texture and crispness from toasted quinoa. Serve the fish as a main dish with whatever side you life, douse it in malt vinegar, or satisfy that California craving and use it to make tacos.

Make this your night one camp-out dinner, when the fish is freshest.

Kids and grown-ups alike will love this upgrade on classic fish sticks. And with a cornmeal coating, they're naturally gluten-free. The creamy dipping sauce doubles as a dressing for the salad, so you don't have to mix up two different sauces to get dinner on the table.

"Anytime you grill or pan-fry fish," O'Connell says, "it's essential to thoroughly dry it before adding your fat."

Take fried fish, break it up, and douse it with lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, chiles, and cilantro, and you have an incredible jumble of textures and flavors. Because you hack the fish into bits, there's no need to find perfect-for-presentation fillets, so this is a great way to use those that aren't flawless, as long as they're fresh.

Weeknight chowder? Use clam juice. Weekend? It's worth making fish stock from scratch.

You can use any firm fish and fresh shellfish you like for this brothy stew. (A little crabmeat is a luxurious addition, as well.) Make the base a day in advance for a low-stress Christmas dinner.

This mixture of spices makes cod- the whitest of fish-taste almost exotic.

For this rustic interpretation of brandade, Aizpitarte uses desalinated salt cod, which is not easy to find. We got great results (and the right texture) by simply using fresh cod, but when it comes to the addictive relish spooned over the top, we wouldn't dare change a thing.

You're going to want to add this gently spiced and meltingly tender fish to your simple weeknight meal rotation.

Most fish markets will sell you the bones you need to make the rich broth, but avoid those from oily fish like mackerel or bluefish, which will overpower the stew's flavor.

Slow-roasted cod—simply topped with a zesty, rustic relish—is just the thing to brighten up any winter dinner party.

Key when making this batter: Be sure your beer and club soda are ice cold, and chill the batter if prepping ahead.

Adding vinegar to the chorizo topping cuts the richness of the sausage and brightens the entire dish.

This recipe comes from MariaElena Sikolas-Toledo and her mother, Kathy Katevatis Sikolas, who has been cooking since she was 12 years old and, reports MariaElena, she "continues to titillate the taste buds of those lucky enough to sit at her kitchen table." According to MariaElena, dried cod fish pie is exclusive to the Greek Island of Cephalonia, where Kathy Sikolas was born and raised. Cephalonia is the largest of the islands in the Ionian Sea and "has a rich, varied cuisine." While the dish is not difficult to make, the recipes is a bit time-consuming, especially if you make your own phyllo dough, which MariaElena insists "is worth the extra elbow grease." If you don¿t want to make homemade phyllo dough, use one package (two sheets) of frozen puff pastry. When using puff pastry, don¿t oil the baking dish and rather than oiling the top of the pie, brush it with an egg wash, which is one egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water. The time commitment required for this recipe is also due to the fact that the dried cod needs to be rinsed, soaked, and poached before you can make the filling. Keep in mind that brands of salt cod can vary in their degree of saltiness so while 24 hours may be sufficient for some, the full 36-hour soak will be required for others. To test the cod, simply taste a small piece after one day—it should be pleasantly salty but not overwhelming.

Smoked and fresh fish join forces in this much-appreciated update to the often-maligned gefilte fish. To get the job done faster, use two skillets.