Recipes by Cuisine: Cook Your Way Around the World

One of our favorite ways to explore a destination is through its food. Whether we’re visiting a neighborhood market in Italy, learning about regional ingredients in Mexico, or cooking with California’s seasonal produce, the dishes we discover inspire what we make at home.

At Salt & Wind, you’ll find professionally developed and tested recipes inspired by the places we know best. Founded in 2014 by Aida Mollenkamp, a Le Cordon Bleu Paris-trained chef, cookbook author, and former CHOW Magazine Food Editor, our publication combines culinary expertise with firsthand travel experience.

Explore our recipes by cuisine below, from regional classics and iconic cocktails to vegetable-forward dishes and approachable takes on traditional favorites.

Best American & California-Inspired Recipes

California’s agricultural abundance and diverse food cultures shape much of how we cook. Our American recipes lean into seasonal produce, fresh herbs, vibrant sauces, and the farm-to-table cooking that defines the Golden State.

From avocado tacos and date shakes to the iconic roast chicken and bread salad at San Francisco’s Zuni Café, these recipes celebrate California flavors.

California-Style Crunchy Fried Avocado Taco Recipe

Best French Recipes

French cooking is about more than elaborate techniques and special-occasion dishes. It’s also about simple preparations that make the most of good ingredients.

Inspired by Aida’s culinary training in Paris and our ongoing travels throughout France, this collection includes bistro classics, regional specialties, and everyday favorites, from potato leek soup and salade niçoise to cheese soufflé.

Best Hawaiʻi Local Food Recipes

The food of Hawaiʻi reflects the islands’ history, communities, and cultural traditions. Traditional Native Hawaiian cuisine and Hawaiʻi’s broader local food culture are distinct, though both are essential to understanding what people eat across the islands.

Our collection includes dishes inspired by Hawaiʻi’s multicultural food traditions, such as saimin, shoyu chicken, boiled peanuts, plantation-style iced tea, and haupia pie.

Best Italian Recipes

Italian cooking is deeply regional, shaped by local ingredients, traditions, and generations of home cooks. From Ligurian focaccia and pesto to classic aperitivo cocktails and biscotti, there’s always something new to discover.

Drawing on years of travel, culinary research, and local relationships throughout Italy, our recipes explore both beloved classics and specialties that deserve to be better known.

Best Mexican Recipes

Mexico’s regional cuisines are remarkably diverse, with distinctive ingredients, techniques, and culinary traditions.

From homemade corn tortillas and tamales to Sinaloa-style aguachile and the classic Cadillac Margarita, our recipes celebrate the flavors we’ve come to love through years of travel and cooking.

Looking for More Cooking Inspiration?

Explore our complete collection of nearly 600 recipes, including weeknight dinners, seasonal salads, appetizers, cocktails, and desserts.

Prefer to browse by dish type? Explore recipes by course, from breakfast and mains to soups, sides, and sweets.

Curious about the destinations behind these dishes? Visit our travel guides for firsthand recommendations on regional food, markets, restaurants, and cultural experiences.