Arctic char looks a lot like salmon at the fish counter — kind of orange-peach color and soft, odorless flesh (ask to smell it). It’s rated as a “best choice” by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch program, so dig in without eco-guilt.

If your fish counter doesn’t have arctic char, you can sub in salmon or trout for this fast, healthful recipe from the fine folks at Fine Cooking Magazine.

Pan-Seared Arctic Char with Olives and Potatoes
From “CookFresh: The Best of Fine Cooking Magazine.” Find this special issue at newsstands now, or subscribe to the magazine here. Serves 4.

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It’s going to be summery in Denver this weekend. It’s also going to be Mother’s Day. That makes two good reasons to fire up the grill, finally.

Grill Mom a skirt steak, slice it thinly after it rests, and serve it with this savory spring salad, a plate of salted radishes and a bottle (or box) of whatever she likes to drink. And if she has a sweet tooth, follow up with Helen Dollaghan’s Perfect Fudge Brownies.

Salad of hot bacon, lettuce and peas
Recipe adapted from “Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch” by Nigel Slater.

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Here’s a simple recipe for a straightfoward springtime dessert, made with honey instead of sugar. Use a flavorful honey for best results, and make it extra Spring-y with stewed strawberries.

Like a gingerbread cake, this one tastes better after a couple of days. The flavors meld beautifully. Wrap it tightly and let it sit.

For a more Mediterranean flavor, swap in olive oil for half the canola oil.

Milk and Honey Cake
Adapted from “The Commonsense Kitchen,” by Tom Hudgens. I like this book — 500 recipes, all basic and smart and clean. The flavor will vary depending on what honey you use. Makes 1 cake, about 12-16 servings.
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It’s going to be a chilly weekend here in Denver. For a certain kind of person (me) this is good news: It means I can putter around the kitchen for a few hours and not feel like I’m burning sunshine.

An idea: Double this slow, sultry, long-cooking recipe from Italian cooking guru Marcella Hazan and eat half on Saturday night. Reheat the leftovers on Sunday — you’ll be delighted by how much the flavor develops after 24 hours in the fridge.

Braised Beef with Vegetables, Red Wine and Thyme
Recipe adapted from “Marcella Says…” by Marcella Hazan (click here to buy a copy). Serves 4.

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It’s all the rage this week to say how NOT interested you are in the Royal Wedding. But for those of us not hooked on Haterade, here’s a quick recipe that blends dessert and breakfast — just right for a 4 a.m. television appointment.

Mocha Affogatos
Recipe adapted from “Alice’s Cook Book,” by Alice Hart. Click here to buy a copy.

Ingredients
Chocolate ice cream
Hot, freshly brewed strong espresso
Bittersweet chocolate, grated

Directions
Scoop ice cream into small heatproof cubs. Top each with a splash of espresso and a little grated chocolate. Serve immediately.

Here’s a quick mid-week recipe to help you clear hump day. It’s from Cooking Light magazine, which quietly but certainly gets better every month — while so many other food magazines flail and spin to stand out.

Pair it with a salad and a glass of pinot noir.

Flank Steak with Spicy Lemon Sauce
Recipe from the May issue of Cooking Light magazine (click here to subscribe). Makes four servings.

Ingredients
1 flank steak (1 pound), trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Place steak on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.
While steak cooks, combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through juice) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in chives and parsley. Serve sour cream mixture with steak.

Nutrition info:
Calories 224, Fat 11.4g (sat fat 4g), Protein 25.8g, Carb 3.3g, Fiber 0.6g, Chol 44mg, Iron 1.9mg, Sodium 459mg, Calcium 60mg.

Don’t fear the artichoke: Preparing thise flavor-bombs is easier than you think. Try this recipe from the upcoming book, “Vegetables From An Italian Garden,” from Phaidon. (Click here to pre-order it.)

It takes some knifework to remove the barriers to the tasty center, but be patient and slice thinly.

Serve this alongside a Sunday night roast chicken.

Artichokes with Parmesan (Carciofi al Parmigiano)
From “Vegetables From an Italian Garden.” Serve 4.

Ingredients
Juice of 1 lemon, strained
8 globe artichokes
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Directions
Half-fill a bowl with water and stir in the lemon juice. Trim the artichoke stems and remove and coarse outer leaves. Scoop out the choke. Place the trimmed artichokes immediately in the lemon-water to prevent discoloration. Leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain and cut into thin slices.
Heat the oil in a pan, add the artichokes and cook over low heat, stirring and turning occasionally, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly season the artichokes with salt and remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the artichokes to a casserole dish, sprinkle with the cheese and parsley, and season lightly with pepper. Bake for 10 minutes and serve immediately.

Here’s an easy weeknight supper, ready in about 15 minutes. Up the health quotient by using whole wheat pasta, which is high in fiber. Don’t get caught up in the measurements here, make this recipe to suit your taste. And for an extra punch, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Linguine with Grape Tomatoes and Capers
From “The Puglian Cookbook,” by Viktorija Todorovska (Agate Surrey). Click to buy a copy. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 pint ripe grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
5 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
11 ounces dried linguine

Directions
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and garlic over low heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the capers and toss. Cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5-6 minutes, until the tomatoes release some of their liquid. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to change color.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook thelinguine to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving a little of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce, if necessary, and toss with the sauce.

It’s hard to imagine a simpler supper than this James Beard gem, from one of the most dog-eared volumes in my kitchen, “James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking” (1977). The original recipe calls for 7-ounce cans of clams, but nowadays the closest you’ll find are 6.5-ounce cans. Time’s swift passage.

Spaghetti with Clam Sauce
From “James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking.” Serves 4.

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti
1/3 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 cans minced clams (6.5 ounces each)
1/2 cup chopped parsley, preferably Italian

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Here’s a colorful, zingy recipe from Diana Henry’s 2010 cookbook “Plenty” that works as a side to fish or chicken, or as a main dish all on its own. Thanks to the chorizo, it’s got a peppy little bite to it.

Peas, fava beans and chorizo with mint
From “Plenty” by Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley). Serves 2 as a main course, or 4-6 on the side.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups fresh or frozen peas
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen shelled baby fava beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces Spanish (hard) chorizo, cut into chunks
Good squeeze of lemon juice
Leaves from 5 mint sprigs torn

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