California's amazing produce, concentration of some of the finest chefs in the world, and the region's anything goes attitude, makes for one of America's most fascinating regional cuisines. The Golden State's wealth of epicurean riches is seemingly endless. California has changed the entire country's culinary culture.
Below you'll find a collection of recipes, from early days of the Spanish Missions, and the hungry 49'ers, to the refined modern "fusion" cuisine, flavored with influences from every corner of the globe.
This mild Santa Maria-style salsa recipe is adapted from one by Susan Righetti, an authority on the cuisine of California's central coast.
This colorful and creative almond-crusted salmon with strawberry sauce recipe was adapted from one made for me by Chef Alex Araizaga at the Historic Santa Maria Inn in Santa Maria, CA.
This recipe is a great way to enjoy fresh asparagus. The ham adds a nice saltiness, and the garlic and lemon are naturals with asparagus.
The town of Santa Maria, near Santa Barbara, California, is famous for its delicious grilled tri-tip recipe.
This roast lemon chicken recipe features a rich, intense sauce made with the caramelized drippings in the roasting dish.
This great spinach and artichoke dip recipe comes from Kevin, from Closet Cooking. The great thing about spinach and artichoke dip, besides the fact it's a party favorite, is just how easy it is to make. Mix it up, bake to a bubbly, golden brown, and serve with your favorite breads and crackers.
These butternut squash dumplings are basically a half moon-shaped ravioli made with wonton wrappers for an easy and elegant meal. The filling is a simple, rich butternut squash puree that pairs perfectly with the nutty brown butter and sage sauce.
Ranch dressing is not only one of America's most popular salad dressings, it's probably its most popular dip. Ranch dressing is delicious served with everything from raw vegetables to fried chicken wings.
This garlic ginger salmon recipe is a great example of how Asian flavors really enhance this fish. If you're looking for a quick, easy, and delicious salmon recipe, give this a try.
Sweet shrimp and fresh asparagus are always great together, and here they combine to make a really delicious seafood pasta sauce recipe. For a little spicier version, try adding some diced jalapenos along with the sweet bell pepper.
This Asian-style grilled skirt steak recipe uses a quick and simple marinade for juicy, flavorful meat.
Garlic mayonnaise, or aioli, is one of America's most popular cold sauces. This simple aioli recipe has unlimited uses; from a super sandwich spread, to a great dip for vegetables, to a sauce for grilled seafood.
This recipe is such a great way to use those beautiful, and bountiful summer squash. This goat cheese stuffed summer squash recipe will work with either green or yellow squash, and make a wonderful side dish.
So simple, so healthy, so delicious! This versatile roasted pepper and vegetable recipe makes a great side dish for almost any meal. You can use any number of seasonal vegetables, herbs, and spices. The secret is a nice hot oven which will help caramelize the edges of the peppers, and give the roasted vegetables a deep, rich flavor.
This grilled halibut recipe is easy, healthy, and delicious! The grilled fish sits on a pile of garlicky green beans for a great combination of flavor and texture. You can do this halibut recipe with either fillets, or halibut steaks.
This very simple glaze recipe is great paired with meaty Ahi tuna fillets. The tangy limes and the sweet honey work so well with the subtle smokiness from the grill. This grilled Ahi tuna recipe is best if the fish is cooked medium-rare.
Savory prosciutto ham wrapped around sweet nectarine slices is a pairing that's hard to beat. This recipe is a fresh take on the classic prosciutto and melon appetizer. This recipe works great for any warm-weather entertaining.
What's better when fresh peaches are in season, than a delicious peach crisp? This crisp recipe also has sliced almonds in the topping, which adds an extra crunch. Any fresh fruit or berries can be adapted to this crisp recipe if peaches arenÂ’t available.
A coulis is a simple sauce made with a fruit puree. The plums in this pork tenderloin recipe are scented with rosemary, and used to create a very unique sauce. Pork recipes with fruit-based sauces are a classic combination, and this delicious version shows why.
This fresh and light summer recipe was developed by the California Peach, Plum, and Nectarine Growers. The ripe nectarines and mint combine to make a healthy, and very refreshing sauce. This salsa recipe can be used to top any grilled fish.
This delicious smoothie recipe is like drinking a creamy slice of peach pie. This is a great way to enjoy fresh summer peaches.
Roasting whole garlic bulbs is an easy and delicious method, and the sweet, soft cloves can be used in countless ways. Roasted garlic cloves are a great garnish for a main course, like roasted chicken, and can also be mashed up and added to dressings and sauces.
This super-simple garlic soy glaze recipe really brings out the natural sweetness of grilled corn. If you like, you can add some hot Asian chili sauce for an extra kick. This glaze recipe is also great brushed on other grilled vegetable.
This sweet and spicy Thai burger recipe was the $50,000 Grand Prize winner at the 2007 Sutter Home Build a Better Burger Contest and Cook-Off. It was created by Karen Bernards, and features an Asian-inspired take on the classic American burger.
This roasted cauliflower recipe is a great way to enjoy this very nutritious vegetable. Cauliflower recipes aren't usually the most exciting dishes on the table, but this butter-roasted version is as unusual as it is delicious.
This garlic shrimp recipe is named for Gilroy, California, known as the "Garlic Capital of the World." This simple shrimp recipe is a delicious and garlicky classic, and only takes a few minutes to cook.
If you like steak, you will love this black pepper-crusted Ahi tuna steak recipe. This cut of tuna is best enjoyed medium-rare, like any great steak recipe, and the spicy pepper crust is perfect with this meaty fish.
Giada de Laurentiis prepared this delicious roasted halibut recipe, with grapefruit fennel salsa, at Caesars, Atlantic City, for the 2008 "Toast to the Coast" Vine & Dine event.
When your brain wants chicken, but your heart wants Italian sausage, this easy grilled chicken recipe is for you. Using the flavors traditionally found in Italian sausage recipes, this chicken recipe will get rave reviews at your next barbecue.
This California Asian-style barbecue sauce recipe combines some classic American barbecue sauce ingredients, with a few traditional Asian flavors, for a great all-purpose sauce.
This grilled herb and fennel lamb loin recipe is proof that simple, is sometimes best. These few ingredients match perfectly with the loins, and make for a grilled lamb recipe that will have people asking you for your "secret" recipe.
Sole Dore is named after a town in England, and is a wonderful way to enjoy the delicate flavor of sole. The sole is sautéed in butter after a light egg batter, and finished with an easy lemon caper sauce.
Simple, healthy and delicious - strawberries with yogurt and honey makes for a quick breakfast, snack, or quick dessert recipe.
Most "crispy" chicken wing recipes call for a deep fryer, but this great "oven-fried" method works beautifully, and is much easier. These sticky ginger garlic chicken wing recipe is a delicious twist on the venerable Buffalo chicken wing.
Buffalo chicken wings are the great American appetizer, but this delicious version uses some classic Asian flavors for a tasty twist. This buffalo chicken wing recipe is perfect for any party platter.
This colorful, healthy, and delicious roasted beet and arugula salad is a wonderful combination of tastes and textures. The earthy, sweet beets, the spicy greens, the tangy cheese, and the crunchy pecans all shine in this impressive salad recipe.
This satisfying, low-fat chicken breast recipe is full of flavor, and very nutritious. The contrast between the hot, aromatic chicken breast, and the cool, savory salad makes for an interesting and delicious plate.
This mashed potato recipe is perfect to serve along side seafood, or chicken recipes. Lemon and fresh thyme are a classic combination, and will turn those plain mashed potatoes into something special.
This skewered fig and pork sausage hors d'oeuvre was created for a food and wine pairing in Sonoma, California. The original used wild boar, but it's delicious with almost any pork sausage. The dried figs are ideally poached in the same wine that this skewer is going to be served with.
This fresh strawberry and kiwi cocktail is a super-easy and delicious fruit dessert. The strawberries and kiwi make their own sauce after you cut them up and add a little sugar.
This creamy cheesy asparagus pizza recipe is an example of a "white" pizza. So, instead of tomato sauce, the fresh asparagus is on a delicious cream sauce. In keeping with the white theme, the whole thing is topped with white cheddar cheese. This a great vegetarian pizza!
When budget, or availability makes using real crab difficult, imitation crab is a surprisingly tasty, and low-fat alternative. This crab and avocado salad sandwich is fast to make, and cost a fraction of what the real stuff would have.
Asparagus is America's favorite spring vegetable for a reason; it's delicious, packed with nutrients, fast to prepare, low calorie, and can be enjoyed in a huge array of recipes. Here are 6 easy asparagus recipes that really show off the versatility of this succulent spear.
This baked bacon and asparagus omelet is what the Italians call a "frittata." It's an easy way to enjoy the wonderful combination of eggs, bacon, cheese and asparagus.
This very simple asparagus recipe really brings out the fresh flavor of the spears. Lemon and garlic butter is great on anything, but especially tender, grilled asparagus!
"Primavera" means spring, and this easy pasta recipe feature two great spring vegetables -asparagus and peas. You can tweak this pasta primavera recipe by adding almost any vegetables you like.
Scallops and bacon are great together. Beans and mint are great together. What happens when you put all four together? A delicious, fast and easy, seared scallop recipe!
This asparagus soup recipe is a great example of the less-is-more school of cooking. It's just a simple puree of asparagus with a bit of cream. The result is a delicious asparagus soup that tastes like…asparagus!
This very simple fat-free sauce recipe is great with pork, poultry, and game. You can easily customize the sauce recipe by switching the type of fruit preserves used.
It's not exactly low calorie, but if you're going to make a rich and creamy dip, why not make one that has lots of nutritious spinach and artichokes in it? This is one of the most popular vegetable dips in casual restaurants, and an easy one to make at home.
Never thought of topping a pizza with eggs? Well, after you taste this amazing pizza, you may never eat it any other way! The soft yolks, running over the cheese and sausage, topped with the cool greens, makes for a very memorable pizza experience. It is called a breakfast pizza, but this is wonderful anytime of the day.
Foie gras, which means "fat liver" is one of the world's great culinary experiences. The flavor and texture is virtually impossible to describe. This extremely expensive product was once only produced in Europe, but there are now several great American sources for foie gras.
This caramelized onion and garlic chicken recipe is easy to prepare, and delicious to eat. The onion and garlic mixture keeps the chicken moist and tender.
Many higher-end grocery stores now sell buffalo meat right along side beef in the butcher case. Buffalo has a mild, delicious flavor and has only half the cholesterol of beef. This garlic-studded buffalo roast recipe is a great way to enjoy this healthy meat.
This chicken and baked Brie Ciabatta sandwich is a beautiful, and delicious, way to break the boring sandwich routine. The sweetness of the fig jam, and warm melting Brie cheese, go so well with the chicken breast and chewy Ciabatta.
The addition of broccoli and cottage cheese turns an ordinary macaroni and cheese recipe into a deliciously healthy casserole.
This easy, low-carb recipe is a great example of modern California fish cookery. The winter vegetables, and light, aromatic sauce, are topped with a freshly seared fish fillet. Simple, elegant, and delicious. This recipe was inspired by California-born star chef Traci Des Jardins. If bass isn't available, any firm white fish will work perfectly.
No need to blanch the asparagus first in this easy and delicious asparagus recipe. Asparagus cooked in this style is more flavorful, and keeps more of the valuable nutrients. This asparagus recipe is great for a first course or as a vegetable side.
You won't miss the meat in this great vegetarian chili recipe. This vegetable chili is healthy, delicious, and super fast to make.
It's hard to come up with a more nutritious soup recipe than this fat-free kale and sweet potato soup. No butter or oil is needed when you're using the delicious combination of satisfying sweet potatoes and the flavorful kale. Not only is this fat-free soup nutritious and tasty, it's incredibly easy and fast to prepare. Both the main ingredients are on many of the "super foods" lists and this kale and sweet potato soup is a great way to enjoy them.
This colorful, healthy avocado and grapefruit salad recipe features an exciting array of tastes and textures. It has peppery arugula lettuce, a simple and light yogurt dressing, sharp curls of Parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts. These ingredients really go wonderfully with the silky avocado, and the sweet and tangy grapefruit.
This simple and healthy pumpkin seed pesto recipe is delicious used as you would any pesto recipe; to top a piece of fish, tossed into hot pasta, or stirred into a soup. Pumpkin seeds are one of nature's most nutritious foods, and this delicious pesto recipe is a great way to eat them!
The carrot recipe is an extremely easy, yet unusual, carrot side dish using one of my favorite "secret" ingredients; Chinese 5-spice. This spice mix was invented literally thousands of years ago, and is suppose to season food in perfect balance with the five elementary flavors of Chinese cuisine; sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savory. This dish is a great example of how Asian influences in California can transform a basic roast carrot recipe into something extraordinary.
The sweet and and savory leeks and pancetta make the perfect bed for these quickly seared scallops. Less is more with this very simple and delicious scallop recipe.
This quick and easy green bean salad recipe is very low fat thanks to a light, simple rice vinegar dressing. Rice vinegar has a natural sweet and tangy flavor that pairs perfectly with the fresh mint. A cold green bean salad is a very refreshing side dish served next to richer entrees.
This Cumberland sauce recipe is a modern Californian take on a very old English sauce. This fat-free sauce is traditionally served cold with wild game such as venison, pheasant and goose. Cumberland sauce is a very versatile condiment that also goes very well with roast turkey, ham, and duck.
This delicious lemon dessert topping is an old British recipe that came to America with the early English settlers. A bit too intense to be eaten by itself, it is traditionally served as a sauce or topping alongside berry tarts, pies, cakes, and gingerbread. If you've never had homemade lemon curd you are missing out on one of the great dessert toppings of all time!
This amazing recipe is the City by the Bay's signature dish. A rich stew featuring an array of fresh seafood in a flavorful tomato and wine sauce, just waiting for a large hunk of sourdough bread to be dunked into it! This is San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf in a bowl.
The combination of the sweet fruit, the nutty, crisp toasted bread, the creamy, tangy cheese; all brought together with a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper and flaky kosher salt makes for an incredible bite.
Yes, vegetarian meatloaf is an oxymoron, but a delicious and nutritious one! This satisfying loaf is a great change of pace.
This bizarre combination is always one of the most talked about items at the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival every year.
The French Laundry is a small gourmet restaurant located in Yountville, CA, in the Napa Valley. It’s considered by many the finest restaurant in the country and the Chef/Owner, Thomas Keller, is consider by many the country’s top Chef. This fried oyster and creamy stew is a hot take on one of his classic cold appetizers; cauliflower “Panna Cotta” topped with a fresh raw oyster and caviar.
Cobb Salad was invented at The Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, California in 1926. It is named for its creator, a Mr. Bob Cobb.
This recipe is a very fast and fresh twist on that boring old coleslaw. The dressing is surprisingly simple, but highly flavored. This is a great recipe for the busy cook, as it only takes a few minutes to put together.
