Crab

The spirit of Japan comes through in this dish: It is lovely to behold and has a delicate, light quality, yet the extraordinary flavors will seize your attention with the culinary equivalent of surround sound.

The verdict in the test kitchen was unanimous: When we order crab cakes in restaurants, these meaty beauties are what we want—not the bready hockey pucks that dot many menus around the country. Pair them with a simple salad or some fries for a Chesapeake-inspired two-person dinner done right.

Our Australia correspondent, Pat Nourse, attended the Sydney Seafood School. The combination of flavors here is quintessentially Australian, inspired by far-flung sources and joined together in a unique way. The brininess of preserved lemons brings out the sweetness of the king crab you'll find in each twirl of pasta.

When cooking shrimp in boiling water, 2 minutes does the job. Overcooking toughens them.

For most people, the word gumbo immediately conjures the Cajun and Creole cooking of Louisiana. But okra (ngombo in Bantu), for which the soup-stew is named, reached South Carolina with the slave trade some years before Europeans settled in Louisiana, and the Creole world, where African, European, and indigenous cultures meet, actually extends up the southern Atlantic coast. There are many different gumbo recipes, all taking advantage of local ingredients and served with rice. This one is a heady, fragrant slurry thick with seafood. If desired, add filé powder (ground dried sassafras leaves), a Choctaw thickening agent with an almost lemony flavor, just before eating.

Be sure to use white corn—it's sweeter.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! Don't look any further for a succulent crab salad open-face sandwich. The little garlic toasts piled high with rich, moist crab can be polished off in one or two bites. I can't think of a better way to start a meal! Don't skimp on the crabmeat. You need only a pound, so buy the best you can find. Bon appétit!

When was the last time you had a traditional, everything-from-scratch bisque? The rarity of an execution this loving, along with those succulent lumps of meat, guarantees groans of pleasure at the Christmas table. The intensely crabby finishing touch, with its base akin to drawn butter, will delight veteran crustacean eaters.

Food lovers on America's coasts have long known that crab cakes make wonderful sandwiches. Here, tender lumps of sweet crab are seasoned (in the manner of traditional Louisiana deviled crabs) and lightly bound with egg and bread crumbs, then panfried until the cakes have a golden crust. A thin layer of tangy tartar sauce and crisp lettuce is all the accompaniment they need.

Just saying the words "Dungeness crab" creates a sense of place. Its juiciness and depth of flavor is the secret to this salad because it strikes a perfect balance with the sweet-tart dressing. Don't substitute Atlantic blue crab here; its delicacy won't work to the salad's advantage.

Often found at shacks on the beach in Puerto Rico, this full-flavored crab dish is served in the shell, or with rice and green bananas or plantains. A defining element of the dish is sofrito, a traditional Spanish sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, cilantro, and hot pepper.

A Cuban dish, enchilado (different from a Mexican enchilada) is seafood cooked in a mildly spicy tomato sauce. Serve this with rice and fried plantains.

The crunch and hint of licorice from a fennel bulb and fennel seeds have the magical effect of making crab taste more intensely like itself in this simple, coyly romantic salad.

A Goan dish from the Savoi Spice Plantation.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Marcus Samuelsson's book, Aquavit : And the New Scandinavian Cuisine Salads like this one are part of the Swedish smorgasbord enjoyed on special occasions such as New Year's. Called skagen in Swedish, this salad is named for a Danish fishing village across the river from Sweden. It's a very traditional dish that appears on every smorgasbord table in the country. Here is our version, which includes smoked salmon, shrimp, and crabmeat. It makes a great lunch served with crusty French bread or whole-grain crispbread.

Serve these with extra lemon wedges.