The Freshest and Most Delicious Recipes You Can Make This April

Just as satisfying as deviled eggs, but with the added appeal of luscious aspara­gus salsa brightened with lemon juice and fennel fronds and crunchy breadcrumbs. Make a double batch and redeploy the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Crunchy, sweet snap peas benefit from a green-fixing blanch and a quick turn in a super-hot pan to play up their crisp character with a little toasty char. Rich walnut gremolata spiked with lemon and briny feta makes for a vibrant side dish.

We could make a meal of this deliciously unexpected combination, but it’s excellent alongside a grilled steak too. Sautéing the quinoa in oil before simmering helps it come out fluffy every time.

The combination of creamy Kewpie mayonnaise, tangy Dijon mustard, and crunchy takanazuke pickles creates a delightful balance of flavors and textures. It’s a versatile dish that can be enjoyed warm or cold, making it ideal for picnics or barbecues.

The memory of olives on a crudités plate prompted Kristen Murray, pastry chef and owner of Maurice restaurant in Portland, to add them to classic gougères for a delicious twist.

The ideal foray for the fish-phobic, this smoked fish dip gives lox and bagel vibes, and is super simple to whip up. Serve with rye bread or crackers. It will keep for five days in the fridge.

Infused with Asian flavors, this quick side dish is great with chicken or fish.

This salad, from San Francisco cookbook author and teacher Michelle McKenzie, benefits from a variety of greens: at least one sweet (pea shoots and flowers, fava greens), one peppery (watercress or peppercress), and one bitter (dandelion greens or amaranth). For the herbs, she likes a mix of mint, dill, parsley, or chervil; fennel fronds work too.

Crisp vegetables, a spicy sweet dressing, and soba noodles combine to make a perfect, picnic-ready side dish.

Right before serving, grind fresh pepper straight into the serving bowl–you want that spicy burst mingling with the sweet smell of melting butter.

Lighter than a quiche, this seasonal galette can be baked ahead and reheated, making it especially handy for a midweek dinner party.

This technique cooks salmon perfectly every time. The sauce is flavorful and rich, but not heavy–just right for a weeknight.

This classic brisket is slow-braised in the oven with plenty of onions, which get nice and soft and sweet. Evan Bloom and Leo Beckerman, of the extremely popular Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen in San Francisco, gave us the recipe.

Hours of cooking on very low heat makes this lamb fall-off-the-bone tender, and a blast of high heat at the end crisps the surface. All you need to round out the dinner are mashed potatoes and a salad.

Pounded thin, chicken thighs cook fast and stay moist. The lemony sauce is great with a side of asparagus.

Save time with fresh store-bought ravioli, instead of making it from scratch. With pesto, pea shoots, and snap peas, this quick pasta dish is fresh and vibrant.

“You wouldn’t find fresh asparagus in Saigon when I was a kid,” says chef Eric Banh, co-owner with his sister, Sophie, of Seattle’s Monsoon and Ba Bar restaurants, “but it’s the kind of thing that a fancy restaurant would serve [from cans].” Now that he and Sophie live in the Pacific Northwest, where spring asparagus is sweet, juicy, and abundant, they love to use it in spring dishes—like this savory shrimp stir-fry.

“At Little Saint, one of our main courses typically tends to fill the role of a creamy, hearty dish along the lines of polenta, risotto, or in this case, a riff on split pea dal,” says Bryan Oliver, chef de cuisine at the Healdsburg, California restaurant. “Here, green split peas are cooked down with onions, garlic, ginger, fragrant lime leaves, and almond milk, transforming these humble ingredients into a richly satisfying porridge which we top with blistered snap peas, pea tendrils, and the farm’s first shoots of lemon basil to evoke the essence of spring’s bounty.”

“One of the most important things for a stir-fry is to have everything cut uniformly, so it cooks evenly,” says Chef Martin Yan. Once you’ve done that, this fresh, lightly crunchy dish cooks in about 5 minutes. It’s great with noodles or rice.

The vegetables in these sandwiches don’t get soggy as they stand, and the flavors benefit from a little time together.

You can make these cookies up to 1 week ahead; cover airtight and store at room temperature. In humid or rainy weather, they may soften.

Panna cotta means “cooked cream,” and true to its name, our classic vanilla version of this recipe weighed in with nearly 20 grams of fat per serving. This svelte chocolate variation has a grown-up tang and tastes indulgent—yet has only 4 grams of fat.

A smooth, delicate cheesecake. Lemon zest in the crust brings out the tang of the cheese.

The filling in these pies is on the tart side, so they’re especially good with vanilla ice cream. Semolina flour in the dough is optional but adds complexity and crunch.

A classic, well-made shortbread is an impressive treat that only requires minimal effort. Start with this five-ingredient dough from cook and blogger Kristina Cho, then up your game with seasonal, colorful, texturally awesome additions. Here are our three favorite varieties: Shortbread Cookies with Blueberry Glaze and Edible Flowers, Shortbread Cookies with Classic Sugar Glaze and Freeze-Dried Strawberries and Roasted Pistachios, and Jasmine Tea Shortbread with Meyer Lemon Glaze.