Broil

Smoked oysters are succulent and salty with a creamy texture that pairs beautifully with bright, acidic flavors. The egg spread provides another layer of richness. These may seem like disparate components of a menu, but each one brings something to the meal in terms of flavor, texture, aroma, and appearance to create a memorable experience.

These nachos lend themselves to customization and are an excellent place to use up little bits of leftovers (extra black beans, crumbled sausage or bacon, roasted vegetables—or a random radish or extra scallion).

The collar is one of my favorite parts of the fish. Baste it with naturally sweet and salty flavor from briny kombu and dark sweet prunes. The briny and sweet sauce is easy to make ahead and store in the refrigerator. The collars of a large fish, such as cod, is the part between the head and the body; it has a (healthy omega-3) fatty richness that is ultra-satisfying. 

This is bread topped with an easy chile-pecan paste that can be used in so many different ways, but the paste spread on some bread and topped with slices of Brie, sprinkled with sugar, and then broiled.

When grilled (or broiled) whole, eggplants get silky and smoky inside and charred on the exterior—perfect for mashing and mixing with sautéed onion, garlic, and fresh tomato.

If you’ve only ever had dry supermarket pita, this is a different animal entirely: puffed up like a pillow, savory on its own, and ready to scoop up anything you like.

This simple appetizer is a hit every time due in large part to the vast appeal of warm cheesy things.

Pico de gallo, but make it roasted.

This savory-sweet dish is decorated with soft cheese and a hint of garlic. Served over a crispy baguette, it’s the perfect summer lunch, midday snack, or party appetizer.

This vibrant dip of toasted walnuts and roasted red peppers pairs perfectly well with fresh pita bread.

The lamb for these wraps—bursting with flavorful spices and herbs—is cooked in the oven, but it would also be amazing cooked on a grill.

Your favorite creamy dip—but in a form you (and your kids) can happily eat for dinner. Serve with a salad of bitter greens and a bright vinaigrette.

At Captiva Art Cafe on Captiva Island, Florida, chef Matthew Mitchell offers imaginative pasta and egg dishes as his meatless selections. We reduced the yolks in his frittata, but all the wonderful flavor is still there. Mitchell accompanies the frittata with toasted focaccia.

Put your broiler to work for sizzling steak fajitas that cook on one sheet pan in just 10 minutes.

When the farmers' market delivers you fresh, tender, sweet-and-not-starchy beans, don’t bother to blanch them. A short stint under the broiler softens them and imparts a light char while maintaining their snappy texture.

We streamlined this recipe to get excellent results in an hour; serve alongside roast chicken or spooned over pan-fried fish or toasted bread.

Refreshingly cold noodles, Vietnamese-spiced pork meatballs, and an array of toppings like fried shallots and crushed peanuts ensure this make-ahead dinner is totally unforgettable.

Cider vinegar, honey, and bone broth mixed with fresh or frozen cherries makes a sweet, sour, and deeply savory sauce that pairs well with easy broiled lamb chops.

Slow-cooking a "roast" chicken yields moist, juicy meat but flabby skin—the easy fix is to run the carved chicken under the broiler to crisp the skin before serving.