But it’s not only eggplant season right now, it’s corn season, too! I celebrate its summery abundance with my sheet-pan chicken thighs with spicy corn. After testing the recipe the first time, I ended up doubling the corn, because, while the chicken is golden and juicy, the starring role has to go to the supremely sweet, succulent corn. The two are dolled up with fresh and pickled jalapeños for heat, lime juice for tang and herbs for freshness. In the notes, I saw that Sandra melted mozzarella on the top, a truly genius move.
If you’re in the mood for fish, I love Kay Chun’s soy-glazed salmon hand rolls. To make them, she quickly simmers the kind of gingery soy and mirin sauce that you’d usually find on gilled unagi, and then brushes it on salmon fillets before baking. You can wrap the cooked, glazed fish into a hand roll with nori, rice, avocado and cucumber, or serve all the elements on top of rice for a hand-roll-inspired salmon bowl. It’s very adaptable and so, so easy.
Does a slushy frozen watermelon daiquiri count as a cocktail or a dessert? I would say both, and I’d be as happy spooning this up after a summer meal as I would be sipping it before one. What do you think? Let me know at hellomelissa@nytimes.com.
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Homemade Watermelon Juice
When life gives you leftover watermelon (say, after making those daiquiris), make watermelon juice. Just cube up the extra melon, seeds and all, and purée it on low speed in your blender, adding a few tablespoons of water if it needs liquid to get going. Leaving the blender speed on low keeps the seeds intact and easy to strain out at the end. Add some ice and a squeeze of lime, and toast yourself with one of the loveliest and most cooling beverages of summer.
