Updated
These recipes are built on whole foods: meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and healthy fats. None uses grains, corn, rice, dairy, beans, peanuts, soy or refined sugar.
Where a recipe calls for vegetable or canola oil, many paleo cooks use olive, avocado or coconut oil instead. Check the labels on broth and spice blends for sugar and additives.
A whole trimmed and tied beef tenderloin, seared in hot oil and roasted at 450°F for 17 to 19 minutes, from very rare to medium-rare. Serves 10 to 12.
A thick-cut porterhouse grilled hot and fast over charcoal until charred outside and rare within, sliced off the bone and finished with olive oil, salt and lemon. Serves 4.
Flank or skirt steak marinated in orange and lime juice with garlic, jalapeño, cilantro and cumin, grilled over high heat and sliced for tacos or plates. Serves 6.
Sirloin cubes and green pepper marinated 6 hours to overnight in an herbed mustard and vinegar marinade, grilled with mushrooms over slow coals, with tomatoes on their own skewers.
Bone-in beef short ribs browned and pressure-cooked in red wine with garlic and tomato until meltingly tender, finished in a glossy reduced sauce. Serves 4.
A bone-in standing rib roast rubbed with garlic, herbs and salt, started at 450°F for a browned crust and finished at 325°F to a rosy medium-rare. Serves 6 to 8.
A 1 1/2 to 2-inch steak cooked slowly in a 250°F oven, then seared in a blazing skillet for an even edge-to-edge pink center and a dark crust. Serves 2 to 3.
Seared steaks simmered briefly in a quick tomato sauce with garlic, oregano and sweet peppers, the way a pizza maker would sauce them. Serves 4.
A whole packer brisket rubbed with coarse salt and pepper, smoked low and slow over oak or hickory, wrapped in butcher paper and rested until tender. Serves 12 to 16.
Italian sausage roasted on one pan with peppers, onions and potatoes until browned and caramelized. Serves 4.
Herb-rubbed pork tenderloin roasted on one pan with Brussels sprouts, apples and red onion, finished with a maple-mustard glaze. Serves 4.
Bone-in pork chops with a garlic, thyme and smoked paprika rub, roasted with sweet potatoes, red onion and apples on a single pan. Serves 4.
Chuck roast slow cooked with chipotles in adobo, lime, garlic, cumin and cloves until it shreds into tender, smoky barbacoa for tacos and burrito bowls. Serves 8.
Chunks of pork shoulder slow cooked in a tangy green sauce of tomatillo salsa verde, green chiles, onion, garlic and cumin. Serves 6.
Bone-in short ribs browned and slow cooked in tomato, red wine and aromatics, then shredded into a rich ragu for pappardelle. Serves 6.
Garlic and Rosemary Roast Leg of Lamb2 hr 25 min total | 8 to 10 servingsA bone-in leg of lamb studded with garlic, rubbed with rosemary, lemon and olive oil, and roasted until rosy for Easter, Passover or Sunday dinner. Serves 8 to 10.
Grilled Lemon-Garlic Lamb Chops1 hr 25 min total | 4 servingsRib or loin lamb chops marinated in lemon, garlic, oregano and olive oil, grilled 3 to 4 minutes per side to medium-rare and finished with mint. Serves 4.
Irish Lamb Stew2 hr 25 min total | 6 servingsHearty Irish stew of lamb shoulder, potatoes, carrots and onions simmered slowly in broth with thyme until tender. Serves 6.
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)1 hr total | 6 servingsPortuguese kale soup with potatoes, onion, garlic and smoky chouriço, the way it is made across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with kidney beans as many New England families add. Serves 6.
Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada)1 hr 5 min total | 6 servingsCaldeirada, the Portuguese fishermen’s stew of layered potatoes, onions, peppers, tomatoes and firm white fish simmered in white wine, olive oil and paprika. Serves 6.
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá2 days 1 hr 30 min total | 6 servingsThe classic Portuguese salt cod casserole: soaked bacalhau, sliced potatoes and onions baked in olive oil and garlic, finished with hard-boiled eggs, black olives and parsley. Serves 6.
Salmon fillets brushed with a honey, Dijon and garlic glaze and air-fried in about 8 minutes until flaky inside with lightly crisp edges. Serves 4.
Soaked and gently poached salt cod flaked and tossed with celery, black olives, roasted red peppers, parsley, garlic, lemon and olive oil. A Christmas Eve classic. Serves 8.
Lime-and-garlic marinated tuna steaks coated in a homemade blackening spice, seared in a hot skillet and served on a cool, fresh mango salsa. Serves 4.
The Italian-American fisherman's stew of San Francisco: clams, mussels, shrimp and firm white fish simmered in a garlicky tomato and white wine broth. Serve with sourdough. Serves 6.
Salmon sliced paper thin, arranged on oiled plates, topped with fresh ginger and lime zest and baked at 500°F for just 3 to 4 minutes. Elegant and fast; serves 4.
Salmon or trout fillets sealed in foil packets with a lemon, Dijon and oil sauce and parsley, baked at 450°F for 15 to 18 minutes. Make ahead and bake when ready.
Lemon-herb salmon fillets roasted on one pan with baby potatoes and asparagus for an easy, healthy weeknight dinner. Serves 4.
Shrimp, smoked sausage, zucchini, bell peppers and red onion tossed with Cajun seasoning and roasted on one pan in about 20 minutes. Serves 4.
Briefly poached shrimp marinated in lime juice with tomato, cucumber, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and avocado. Bright, cool and ready in 45 minutes. Serves 6.
New England steamers: soft-shell clams soaked to purge the sand, steamed for 15 minutes, and served with their broth, drawn butter and lemon.
Cod fillets roasted on a bed of blistered cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and garlic, finished with lemon and basil. Serves 4.
Sea scallops wrapped in partly cooked bacon and air fried until the bacon is crisp and the scallops are just opaque, brushed with a little maple and black pepper. About 16 pieces.
Firm white fish simmered in a tangy coconut curry with tomato, tamarind, chiles and spices, as it is made on India's west coast. Serves 4.
Shrimp simmered in a fragrant coconut milk curry with mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger and turmeric, in the style of South India. Serves 4.
Extra-crispy chicken wings with a simple garlic, paprika and pepper rub, air-fried in about 25 minutes with no oil. Serve plain or tossed in any sauce. Serves 4.
Split broilers sprinkled with ginger and salt, broiled golden, then basted with orange juice concentrate and water or orange liqueur until tender, about 30 minutes.
Classic Jewish chopped liver: chicken livers and onion cooked in schmaltz and chopped by hand or ground with hard-boiled eggs. Never in a blender.
Whole Cornish game hens rubbed with garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and olive oil and roasted at 400°F until crisp and golden. One small bird per person; serves 4.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs seasoned with garlic, paprika and thyme and air fried until the skin is crackling crisp. Serves 4.
Crisp-skinned chicken thighs roasted with lemony garlic potatoes and green beans on a single sheet pan. Serves 4.
Pork shoulder slow cooked with orange, lime, garlic, cumin and oregano, shredded and broiled until crisp at the edges, for tacos and burrito bowls. Serves 8.
Chicken slow cooked in salsa with cumin and chili powder, then shredded for tacos, burritos, nachos and rice bowls. Just five minutes of work; serves 6.
Chicken breasts glazed with honey mustard and roasted with carrots, red potatoes and broccoli on a single pan. Serves 4.
Chicken thighs braised with tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onion, garlic and herbs until tender, Italian hunter style. Serves 6.
A gentle ginger chicken soup with green papaya or chayote and leafy greens. Light, warming and a Filipino sick-day favorite; serves 6.
Halved Brussels sprouts roasted at high heat with crisp bacon until deeply caramelized, then finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serves 6 to 8.
A pork loin filet marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs, then air fried at 400°F for 22 minutes until browned outside and juicy inside. Directions for the oven and grill too; serves 6.
Thinly shaved raw Brussels sprouts and peppery arugula tossed with warm-roasted, cooled cauliflower and a bright champagne vinegar and Dijon vinaigrette. Serves 4.
Pork tenderloin coated in a dry rub of garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, thyme, chili powder and a little cayenne, seared in a hot skillet and finished in a 450°F oven. Serves 4.
The bright Argentine herb sauce for grilled steak: fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Makes about 1 cup.
Chunky, fresh guacamole of ripe avocados mashed with lime juice, onion, jalapeño, cilantro and salt, with a little tomato. Ready in 10 minutes; serves 6.
Fresh, chunky salsa of chopped tomatoes, white onion, jalapeño and cilantro with lime and salt. The bright topping for tacos, fajitas and carne asada. Makes about 3 cups.
