Watercress
Watercress Salad with Verjus Vinaigrette
At Benu, chef Corey Lee fries almonds and peels grapes for his compelling salad. At home, use roasted marcona almonds and unpeeled green grapes.
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Cabbage, Watercress and Pine Nut Dumplings
Be sure to chop the filling for these vegetarian dumplings with a knife; they become too wet and pasty in a food processor. We liked the dumplings boiled in water, but they're also delicious cooked in a steamer.
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Zucchini-and-Watercress Soup
Sophie Dahl likes eating peppery watercress in the spring and has figured out a way to highlight its bright flavor in this silky soup. A single tablespoon of cream gives the vivid green soup a touch of richness.
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Jicama, Citrus and Watercress Salad
"I like big flavors through small bites," says Steve Sicinski. His salad combines plenty of vibrant-tasting ingredients, like pomegranate, watercress and orange, so a little goes a long way.
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Crab, Apple and Watercress Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
Sweet-tasting lump crab is sold precooked, so it's perfect for a fast meal. Melissa Rubel uses it here in a crunchy salad that gets a double dose of nutty flavor from walnuts and walnut oil.
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Corn and Tomato Salad with Shrimp and Watercress
Brian Bistrong's refreshing salad is a play on the one he learned from his mentor David Bouley. The shrimp bumps up the protein virtually without adding any fat, while the watercress is a great source of vitamin C.
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Watercress Soup with Pickled Cucumbers
Quick-pickled cucumber slices give this delicate, fresh-tasting soup a little zing.
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Red Snapper Crudo with Watercress Pesto
At La Buca restaurant in Cesenatico on the Adriatic coast, Matt Molina and his crew tried slivers of raw orata, a meaty local white fish, embellished simply with agretti pesto. Since orata is harder to find in the U.S., this recipe calls for red snapper.