The Caribbean's tropical climate is ideal for growing tamarind, or tambran as it is colloquially called in Trinidad. Often thought of as a native Indian fruit, tamarind is actually indigenous to Africa but was likely brought to India via trade routes millennia ago. Once transplanted to the subcontinent, tamarind quickly became a staple of Indian cooking and is used in sauces, drinks, desserts and stews. It came to South America and the Caribbean with European colonizers in the 16th century, so was already on the scene when indentured East Indians arrived in the West Indies.

If you have a lot of basil, double the oil for this pan-seared fish recipe. It doesn't take any more time to make and it's delicious whisked into dressings, drizzled over grilled vegetables and used to make garlic bread. The same technique works well for lots of other herbs, too—think: tarragon, parsley, chives.

This is a traditional way that fish is served in Jamaica that is similar to the escabeches of the Spanish-speaking islands. It is traditionally served with bammy (also spelled bammie), a cassava flatbread, but I like to eat it with rice to better soak up the marinade. This recipe makes four cups of pickled vegetables: You can use it all or reserve some and use the leftovers as a complement to other fish or meat dishes or in sandwiches.

This healthy fish recipe makes a tasty and easy weeknight meal. Serve with wild rice or roasted potatoes.

Looking for a recipe to help you eat more heart-healthy fish and veggies? Add this salmon and asparagus dinner to your rotation. Not only is it healthy and delicious, this sheet-pan dinner is also easy to make and a breeze to clean up.

For this easy sheet-pan dinner, beets get a head start in the oven while you prep the shrimp and kale. For a prettier presentation, leave the shrimp tails intact. Serve this one-pan recipe with a cool glass of rosé.

This cauliflower gnocchi dinner is ready in just minutes on busy nights. A simple flavor-packed sauce marries the tender pasta with cooked shrimp. If you don't eat shrimp, use rotisserie chicken instead.

Because refrigerated fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta, this Italian-inspired pasta dish will be on the table lickety-split! Puttanesca—traditionally made with tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and garlic—gets shrimp for extra protein and artichoke hearts to boost the vegetable servings (and the fiber!). If you can't find frozen artichoke hearts, sub in drained canned artichoke hearts.

The olive, caper and tomato-based sauce in this healthy fish stew recipe gives this very traditional Italian dish tons of flavor. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

The brightness of basil pesto is a nice match for the buttery flavor of salmon in this quick and healthy dinner recipe. Refrigerated pesto, found near fresh sauces and salsas at most stores, is prettier and has a better taste than jarred.

This warm flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.

This zesty quinoa salad is delicious all on its own, with inspiration from the Mediterranean. Make a double batch for lunches later in the week.