Whether it's a casual get-together with friends, an elegant dinner party, or a big holiday buffet, we have seafood recipes that will fit the bill.

An easy bacon wrap around each cod fillet adds rich flavor and a crisp coating to the sauteed fish. (Other mild-tasting fish, such as halibut, haddock, or striped bass, would work here, too.) A side salad of slightly bitter frisee and pink grapefruit is a balanced accompaniment.

A sweet and tangy glaze tops broiled salmon filets. This crowd-pleasing main course is ready in just 20 minutes.

Sweet sea scallops need only a dusting of salt and pepper before going into a hot skillet. The accompanying salad of fennel, parsley, arugula, and avocado is tossed in a rich and tangy dressing made with pomegranate molasses.

Lime zest, chili paste, and Asian fish sauce infuse the glaze of Thai-style grilled shrimp. Serve these skewers as an appetizer or add them to a cold noodle salad.

Transform shepherd's pie into an elegant dish fit for company by substituting lobster for the traditional ground beef or lamb. The individual mashed potato-topped pies can be baked in fluted ramekins, shallow ovenproof casseroles, or even Pyrex bowls.

Pan-sear striped bass fillets to create a flavorful browned exterior, and then simmer with white wine, fresh corn, jalapeno, and cherry tomatoes. Stir in fresh basil and cilantro just before serving.

No need to dig a pit in the sand! Steam lobsters, clams, mussels, shrimp, corn on the cob, potatoes, and chorizo in beer from the comfort of your kitchen for a casual summer dinner party.

Whole-milk Greek yogurt, fresh tarragon, and grated lemon zest make an easy, lively glaze for broiled salmon fillets. This delectable main course is ready in just 15 minutes.

In most ceviche recipes, raw seafood "cooks" in an acidic liquid, such as citrus juice. Here, you boil the shrimp, and, once cool, combine with diced avocado and other ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips for a refreshing appetizer.

Seared sea scallops are served over Moroccan couscous infused with the flavors of its cooking liquid: sherry, chicken stock, saffron, thyme, and butter. The scallops and couscous are prepared in the same saute pan, allowing for easy cleanup.

Chef Joe Truex, founder of Atlanta's Repast restaurant, infuses heavy cream with lemongrass, ginger, star anise, and birdseye chile, then mixes with sesame oil, chopped shrimp, and jumbo lump crabmeat to create these Asian-inspired crab cakes.

Sprinkle large, peeled and deveined shrimp with minced garlic and olive oil, and broil for just a few minutes until opaque. Toss with lemon juice and parsley, and dinner is ready!

Poach a whole seven-pound salmon, then carefully scrape off the skin and pull out the bones with tweezers. Wrap the skinned salmon in paper-thin strips of cucumber and serve with a sauce of capers, chopped watercress, and cucumbers mixed with sour cream.

No barbecue grill required to prepare this Louisiana favorite of shrimp sauced with butter, Worcestershire, celery, scallion, garlic, and Creole seasoning. Serve the shrimp over steamed rice and garnish with sliced scallion greens.

Dress up cod by wrapping each fillet in a slice of prosciutto, rubbing with olive oil, and broiling. Serve with sauteed spinach splashed with lemon juice. This elegant company dish is ready in just 25 minutes.

Thread scallops, orange wedges, Kirby cucumber, and thin slices of fresh ginger onto skewers and baste with honey and orange juice. These colorful seafood kebabs can be cooked on the grill or under the broiler.

Make this Scandinavian delicacy from scratch by rubbing salmon fillets with salt, sugar, dill, lemon zest, and caraway and letting it cure in the refrigerator for one to two days. Slice the fish as thinly as possible and serve with pumpernickel bread, cucumber, red onion, and sweet mustard sauce.

To prepare lobsters for grilling, boil them first for 1 minute. Serve the split grilled lobsters with melted butter and lemon wedges for the perfect seaside cookout.

Broiled scallops are served with a cauliflower puree, an herb-and-caper relish, and coins of roasted Jerusalem artichokes for this elegant dinner. Unlike the better-known artichoke, which is a thistle, Jerusalem artichokes (sometimes called sunchokes) are small potatolike tubers.

This irresistible lobster galette recipe is courtesy of chef Ed McFarland of Ed's Lobster Bar in New York City. In two skillets, layer thinly sliced potatoes with cooked lobster-tail pieces and clarified butter, and bake. Cut into wedges and serve with creme fraiche on the side.

The accompanying cilantro dipping sauce is a cool complement to the cayenne pepper of the marinade. Use two skewers per kebab to help keep the shrimp in place when turning them on the grill.

A whole grilled fish impresses with minimal effort: Brush a cleaned, whole arctic char (it tastes similar to salmon) with mint-chive butter and grill for just 20 minutes. Present on a platter with charred lemons and get ready for compliments.

Traditional French bouillabaisse uses fish native to the Mediterranean, but many fish in American markets are suitable. Choose firm white-fleshed fish, such as halibut, red snapper, or monkfish. Shellfish, while not traditional, is a delicious addition to this dish.

This interpretation of the Spanish favorite combines lobsters, clams, cod, and linguica sausage with long-grain rice. Saffron gives the dish its brilliant yellow-orange hue and distinctive aroma.

Store-bought wonton wrappers stand in for fresh pasta in these delicate ravioli. A lemon butter sauce complements the mild, sweet ricotta and crab filling.

If you can't fit in a trip to Maine this year, making a meal from foil packets of shrimp, cod, potatoes, and corn may be the next best thing. You can prepare the packets up to a day ahead, refrigerate, and throw onto the grill just before it's time to eat -- a boon to low-key summer entertaining.

Bay scallops, shrimp, calamari, mussels, and bass mingle in a spicy tomato and white wine sauce. Bake the seafood in small ramekins and top each with a baked round of puff pastry just before serving.

Try this recipe for your next dinner party: Wrap halibut fillets with paper-thin potato slices before searing, then serve with a "beurre rouge," or red-wine butter sauce.

Asparagus adds color to spicy, garlicky scampi. Toss with pasta shells (conchiglie) to make it a complete meal.

Hollowed pineapple halves are stuffed with a mixture of shrimp, halibut, chopped pineapple, and adobo sauce before roasting. The pineapples are then topped with Emmentaler (or Swiss) cheese and clams, and baked until browned and bubbling. Serve this elaborate dish at your next fiesta. The recipe is from Roberto Santibanez's cookbook "Rosa's New Mexican Table."

To make this recipe from chef Kevin Stanton, sprinkle fruity, spicy Red Moon tea leaves over salmon fillets and cover in hot water to cook the fish. Serve with sauteed Brussels sprouts and creamy, tomato-kissed kaffir lime sauce, and garnish with chopped cucumber.

Fold together creamy cheese sauce, cooked macaroni, and chopped, cooked seafood, and top with seasoned panko breadcrumbs before baking. Use any combination of cheeses and cooked seafood for this recipe.

Make a favorite Thai takeout dish at home, starting with a special sauce made of lime juice, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar. For perfect results, take care not to overcook the shrimp or the rice noodles.

A whole roasted salmon makes a beautiful presentation for dinner parties. This fish is stuffed with cilantro, sliced oranges, and red onion, and basted with orange juice and butter while it roasts.

Look for sea scallops in their shells for this recipe. The shells serve as pans for clusters of scallops, which are first poached in beurre blanc, a white wine and butter sauce, and then finished under the broiler. The light last touches are cracked white pepper and a splash of lemon juice.

This classic seafood gumbo recipe from Emeril Lagasse includes crab, shrimp, oysters, and fish (you can use catfish, grouper, snapper, or sole fillets). Serve the stew garnished with parsley, scallions, and file powder along with white rice.

This dish may look complicated, but it's really quite simple: Place halibut fillets atop a bed of sauteed leeks and shallots, sprinkle with sauteed mushrooms, and roast. Serve drizzled with chive oil, alongside a colorful beet salad.

To make this recipe from chef Michael Psilakis's cookbook, "How to Roast a Lamb." stuff lemon slices, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic into the cavity of a whole bass, then cover with red onion and surround with tomatoes, potatoes, sweet onion, zucchini, olives, and more garlic before roasting.

Egg yolk enriches the sherry-butter sauce in this classic New England seafood dish. You can prepare the lobsters and the stock a day ahead.

This impressive array of seafood is worthy of your most important occasions, including holiday cocktail parties and dinners. "Fruits de mer" is the French term for seafood, and literally means "fruits of the sea." A luxurious assortment of shellfish, including lobster, crab legs, and shrimp, are cooked in a seasoned broth and served chilled, along with raw oysters and clams on the half shell, caviar, and a selection of sauces.

Try this spicy shrimp and rice dish -- a New Orleans favorite -- for a simple dinner for family or friends. If you prefer a milder flavor, use chorizo or kielbasa in place of the traditional Cajun andouille sausage.

A relish of green olives, parsley, and mint accompanies a roasted side of salmon in this easy-but-elegant recipe. The salmon can also be grilled instead of roasted.

This recipe for scallop ceviche incorporates fusion flavors into an elegant appetizer. The dressing includes "aji amarillo" paste from South America, key lime juice from Florida, and yuzu juice and soy sauce from Asia. This delicious recipe is courtesy of Nobu Matsuhisa and Thomas Buckley, and can be found in "Nobu Miami: The Party Cookbook."

It's best to serve lobster precracked so that it is easy for guests to eat. In this recipe, the tails are sliced and rearranged into their shells for an attractive presentation and served with drawn butter and lemon wedges.

Chef Mario Batali's fideos with seafood is a traditional Spanish dish made of noodles ("fideos" -- or you can use angel hair pasta), mussels, shrimp, clams, a flavorful wine-and-saffron stock, and tomato sauce.

Choose monkfish or halibut fillets to stew with tomatoes, olives, peppers, preserved lemons, and a rich spice blend of toasted cumin, paprika, and hot pepper. This recipe is from Paula Wolfert's cookbook "Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking."

This version of the Spanish rice dish contains clams, mussels, squid, and shrimp along with chicken and pork loin and feeds a large crowd. You'll need a 28-inch paella pan set over four burners or a hardwood fire to make this amazing party feast.

These folded sole fillets gently poach in white wine. Lemon slices help keep the fish moist and lend additional flavor during cooking. For a simple sauce, reduce the poaching liquid and stir in lemon juice and butter. This elegant main dish is ready in just 20 minutes.

Rub a whole side of salmon with a blend of ground coriander, cumin, dill, and yellow-mustard seeds, and grill in a fish-shaped basket to make it easier to handle. Serve with grilled Vidalia onions and spicy cucumber salsa.

A lime-juice marinade effectively "cooks" the tilapia. After draining, toss the fish with tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, and cilantro. Serve with mini tostadas or store-bought tortilla chips.

For a spectacular special-occasion dish, cook a cleaned whole salmon in a fish poacher, cool and carefully skin the fish, then cover with artfully arranged citrus or cucumber slices before glazing with aspic.