Salmon

Onigiri is a quintessential Japanese food: made by moms for breakfast, lunch boxes, and picnics. It is the ideal handheld food (the nori wrapper keeps the sticky rice from getting all over your hand).

Nduja is traditionally made with pork, but because salmon is a fatty fish, it works well too.

Don’t fuss with the salmon too much once it’s on the grill: Let the flesh naturally release from the grate before attempting to turn it. You can also use the tare marinade for any cut of salmon.

A kicky chile-lime dressing wakes up your weeknight salmon.

This recipe is going to instruct you to remove the backbone of the fish from inside the cavity—no small task but well worth it. You can also just tie two whole fillets of salmon together (skin side facing out) if you’d like.

Here's a little trick: Thread salmon pieces onto two skewers so they don't flip and spin every time you turn them on the grill.

Turned out onto a platter and featured as one of many foods at a holiday buffet, this dish is always a big success. Even those who swear they would never eat gefilte fish come back for seconds, provided you serve horseradish sauce with it.

Layering salmon between sheets of kombu is an easy way to gently cure it, drawing in salt and umami-depth.