Your Favorite Fish and Shellfish Dishes

There are so many great conversations on the Hotline—it's hard to choose a favorite. But we'll be doing it, once a week, to spread the wealth of our community's knowledge—and to keep the conversation going.

Today: Your favorite, crowd-pleasing seafood dishes.

Now that it's finally warm out, there's no better way to celebrate the beautiful weather than to share a meal with your friends, al fresco of course.

Over on the Hotline, JadeTree tells us that she's ready to entertain, as soon as she gets a little help with the menu planning. She explains: "We've become good friends with a pescatarian family, and I realize I don't have a long list of favorite fish and shellfish mains. Can you recommend your favorites so we can have tons of dinner parties all summer?" Of course, you all came to the rescue with plenty of ideas:

• Susan W suggests bouillabaisse, cioppino, or miso-glazed salmon, halibut, or sea bass.
• Scruz loves Copper River salmon, marinated in soy sauce, maple syrup, and a splash of roasted sesame oil. 
• Stephanie says that shrimp and pesto go surprisingly well together and also recommends ceviche, mussels, or cedar plank-grilled salmon.

• Some you put forth fish tacos; mrslarkin changes it up and suggests tacos with shrimp.
• PieceOfLayerCake likes to serve "elevated shrimp and grits" with jumbo shrimp, Parmigiano polenta, crisp bacon, chives, cracked pepper, and poached eggs, saying: "It sounds odd, but it's incredible."
• sexyLAMBCHOPx suggests paella on the grill or a seafood boil.

• Nancy recommends: “A beautiful whole fish baked in salt, which keeps the fish moist and then provides great drama when the crust is cracked open.”
• Garlic Fiend goes super simple and offers: “Fresh seafood just grilled, baked, or steamed plain and finished with a squeeze of lemon right after it comes out of its cooking vessel.”

• Pegeen loves Dad's Favorite Seafood Soup.
• Cookbookchick says, “When you want delicious but simple, here's a Genius Recipe."

And if you're still in need of ideas, check out the entries to our current contest: Your Best Recipe for the Shore.

What are your favorite shellfish and fish recipes? Tell us in the comments below!