Just Soup (& sandwiches & salads) / Solo Sopa

Fish tea is an endlessly flexible soup recipe found across the Caribbean, consisting of fish, starchy vegetables like pumpkin and yellow yam, and seasonings, which can all vary depending on the cook Some prepare it with a helpful packet labeled "fish tea flavored soup mix," while others prefer making it from scratch with fresh fish heads This weeknight version lands somewhere in the middle, showcasing tender-crisp summer vegetables like corn and green beans in a delicate broth scented with ginger, allspice and juicy hunks of snapper

This silky, salmon-colored purée from Cordoba, Spain, is thicker and creamier than gazpacho Andaluz, just a simple mixture of tomatoes, bread, garlic and olive oil Its success depends entirely on the quality of the tomatoes and oil Authentic salmorejo has about three times as much olive oil as this version and can be thicker, doubling as a sauce or a dip

Poached and flaked cooked fish in an easy, hearty salad with plump cranberry beans and peppery arugula makes a lovely, satisfying meal.

Congee is regarded as the ultimate Chinese comfort food, according to the author Fuchsia Dunlop This recipe for ji zhou or chicken congee, from her book on Jiangnan regional cuisine, is dead simple and satisfying Serve it with chicken and soy sauce for a late-night Shanghai-style snack.

Bright with lemon and herbs, and packed with hearty greens, this highly adaptable soup can be either light and brothy or thick and stewlike, depending on your preference Smashing some of the beans to release their starch will give you a thicker soup that’s almost worthy of a fork To keep it on the brothy side, add a little more liquid and leave the beans intact

The key to great corn flavor in this simple chowder is making a quick corn stock from the cobs of the fresh, peak-season sweet corn and using it as the base for the soup.

With cucumbers, tomatoes, browned tofu and a punchy dressing, this recipe’s combination of hot, cold, juicy and snappy makes for a refreshing lunch or light dinner Inspired by Chinese smashed cucumber salads, many of which include dried chiles or chile oil, this recipe’s piquant and spicy dressing uses chile crisp as well as lemon juice, raw garlic and soy sauce The only cooking that’s required is searing the tofu, which helps it drink up more of the dressing

One of Chile’s most popular street foods, Completos feature hot dogs tucked into a fresh, sturdy bun then generously topped with sauerkraut, diced tomatoes, mashed avocado, mayonnaise, and more.

Beloved in Arizona, these hot dogs are wrapped in crispy bacon and loaded with pinto beans, onions, a jalapeño salsa, and juicy tomatoes.

Juicy grilled shrimp tossed with an herby mayo and piled into toasted, buttered buns.

This collection of coleslaw recipes includes a creamy classic version as well as the vinegary and red varieties commonly served with barbecue in the Carolinas. A Tex-Mex jalapeño slaw brings the heat, and two slaws inspired by Asian cuisine add variety to the bunch.

In this twist on the classic Caesar salad, a garlicky, savory vinaigrette is paired with crisp leaf lettuce, salty Parmesan cheese, and a medley of sweet roasted vegetables that’s perfect for a light summer dinner.

Top your salads and soups with these croutons—or keep them in a bowl and eat them like popcorn.

All the components of a BLT paired with briny anchovies, salty-sweet Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lots of black pepper reach imperial levels of flavor.

For an utterly summery first course, consider this shaved zucchini salad The idea is very thinly sliced, very fresh zucchini or other summer squash, lightly dressed with salt, lime juice and olive oil, with lots of basil and mint and crumbly creamy feta on top It’s extremely refreshing and takes no time to make

Convenient and tender rotisserie chicken, sautéed scallions and garlic, vinegar-soaked currants and a couple big handfuls of peppery arugula make up this simple yet very flavorful sandwich Inspired by the wood-oven-roasted chicken and bread salad from Zuni Café in San Francisco, this is a take on that famed dish in sandwich form Parmesan and toasted nuts add texture, depth and a hit of umami

On a hot day, a sip of this Thai iced tea—which gets its creaminess from evaporated milk and sweetness from condensed milk—feels like a luxury.

Harness the crowd-pleasing power of dumplings in this hearty yet light main course salad The base is simple and summery: Ripe tomatoes are lightly touched with salt, garlic and basil, providing a perfectly fragrant canvas for pan-fried potsticker dumplings Salting intensifies the tanginess and fruitiness of tomatoes, while also coaxing out some of the juice, which becomes a light sauce for the dumplings

This tender chicken salad (coated in a tangy pesto dressing and with sun-dried tomatoes woven throughout) is perfect for sandwiches or simply on its own.

This cold fruit soup is made with fresh beets and sweet cherries—which are in season at the same time during peak summer—sour cream or yogurt, star anise, and cinnamon. It's a bit sweet but leans more to the savory side. It's gorgeous, deliciously refreshing, and works well as light amuse bouche.

A braai is South Africa’s beloved open, wood-fired equivalent to an American barbecue and these grilled cheese sandwiches are an integral component Mrs Ball’s, an iconic South African dried-fruit chutney, lends sweet tang, though sweet fruit chutney such as Major Grey’s or even apricot jam can be used in a pinch

This pasta salad is loaded with two pounds of zucchini, roasted until golden and caramelized, then tossed in a tangy garlic-tahini dressing Roasted sunflower seeds bring crunch and nuttiness (Pepitas, slivered almonds or chopped walnuts are other great options.) Golden raisins add unexpected pops of sweetness that round out the tart lemon

Ranging from silken and creamy to firm and chewy, tofu comes in many forms and is prized around the world for its versatility In this recipe, which is adapted from the “Superiority Burger Cookbook” (W.W Norton & Company, 2018) by chef Brooks Headley, extra-firm tofu is pressed, marinated, breaded and fried, to make the “tofu-fried tofu” sandwich at Superiority Burger, his popular vegetarian restaurant in New York City

Fill store-bought brioche buns with jammy, caramelized onions and melted Gruyère, for satisfying little sandwiches that make a perfect soup companion or a cozy, comforting meal Caramelizing the onions takes some time but very little effort, and coaxing out the ingredient’s sweet side is well worth it The butter used to caramelize the onions adds flavor, and the extra-virgin olive oil allows the onions to tolerate higher heat without burning

A portrait of the five boroughs between two slices of bread.

Tangy and salty and colorful, the scuttlebutt sandwich vibrates with flavor: hard-boiled egg, pickled beets and carrots, olives, capers, herbs and feta mingle on pillowy focaccia “The word ‘scuttlebutt’ is sort of like what’s the gossip, what’s the story, what’s the deal or the chitchat, you know, the chatter,” said its co-creator Caroline Fidanza, who devised the sandwich at her Brooklyn restaurant Saltie in 2009 with the chef Rebecca Collerton Inspired by Ms

Green beans, feta and dill are old friends, but using dill pickles instead of dill contributes acid, crunch and verve to the classic combination For maximum flavor, use pickles that are brined with fresh dill or dill seeds, and chill the salad for at least 30 minutes for refreshing, snappy bites Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days to dole out alongside roast chicken or hot dogs, or on top of salad greens or grain bowls.

With just a few technical tricks, this thick and flavorful chana masala comes together in an impossibly short time.

With crisp noodles and vegetables coated in a tangy dressing, this salad is reminiscent of the ubiquitous Chinese chicken salad, which isn’t actually Chinese in origin Stripped of the chicken and given a more accurate name, this vegan take is a fresh salad with lots of textures and no active cooking Fridge stalwarts carrot and celery combine with robust cabbage to provide heart and heft, while store-bought crispy fried noodles (sometimes sold as chow mein noodles) bring mouth-watering crunch

While diner-style Greek salads made with chopped romaine, crumbled feta and often grilled chicken have become ubiquitous in American restaurants, a traditional Greek salad, or horiatiki salata, is a simpler affair An assembled salad of large-diced vegetables with Kalamata olives and sometimes capers, this salad has no greens at all, and the feta is served sliced on top of the salad rather than crumbled and tossed into it A traditional Greek salad dressing usually consists of olive oil and red wine vinegar; this recipe adds garlic and oregano