Thanks to concerns about tuna's high mercury levels and unsustainable fishing practices, the carefree days of eating lots of tuna fish sandwiches for lunch are over. But if you are missing the quick, tasty and economical meals canned tuna provides, we have a few excellent alternatives — including one vegetarian option.

Tuna salad, chicken salad, and egg salad are staples in my house, and they are almost always made better with melted cheese. (The first time I tasted an "egg salad melt" — just recently — was a revelation!) I usually throw any one of these together as a dinner afterthought, until it dawned on me that they could use some special attention. The classic tuna melt was first in line for a makeover, with homemade olive oil mayonnaise and salty Parmesan taking it from good to great!

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Rich and creamy lobster bisque is a perennial Valentine's Day favorite, but it's a dish that can be daunting to the uninitiated and daunting to the wallet. After tinkering with a traditional (and expensive) recipe last week, I knew there must be an easier (and cheaper!) way. Turns out, there is.

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This tip will forever transform the way you think about fish skin. First of all, don't throw it away! Instead season and bake the skin on its own for a crisp, salty, and very bacon-like treat. This video from CHOW shows you how: More

With Super Bowl Sunday, Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, and the Oscars, February happens to be one of my very favorite food months. It's just a shame it comes right after a month of many folks' diet and exercise resolutions. If I could give you only one festive (and Super Bowl-appropriate) recipe this month that is absolutely, positively worth a few extra hours in the gym, this crazy-good, decadent crawfish dip would be it. More

Q: My husband and I went to the Saltgrass Steak House in San Antonio, TX, in May. Their side dish of scampi rice was incredible. Does anyone have a recipe?

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Q: I am going to be staying in a small fishing village in Mexico for one week. I will get to purchase fresh fish daily directly from the fishermen and grill them. I want to bring some good spices with me on this trip. What would you recommend, either individual spices or some blends?

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Cooking for my family during a holiday visit to Seattle, I came up with this chowder as a light yet comforting weeknight dinner to give us a break from the rich holiday meals we had been eating. The broth skips the usual milk or cream and is instead thickened by pureeing cooked potatoes and aromatics into a creamy, flavorful base studded with chunks of mild white fish and soft vegetables. Warm, satisfying and not too heavy, this dairy-free soup is the perfect meal for a chilly January evening. More

If you've ever cooked salmon, you've probably noticed an unappetizing white, chunky foam appear on the surface of the fish. It's called albumin and the folks at America's Test Kitchen recently shared some insight on how it forms and what you can do to minimize it. More

Q: I am looking for a smoker to make smoked salmon and have no idea where to start. I'd like to cold-smoke the salmon Norwegian-style. Can you help? It's smoked salmon season in my home!

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