22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (2024)

There is just no stopping chef Marcus Samuelsson. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, Samuelsson came to the United States in 1994 to apprentice at New York City's Aquavit shortly after attending culinary school in Gothenburg. He was quickly appointed as the restaurant's executive chef, and in 1995 became the youngest recipient of a three-star review from The New York Times. Samuelsson's television appearances range from both competing in and judging culinary competition shows to hosting No Passport Required on PBS; he's authored numerous cookbooks plus a memoir; he operates more than a dozen restaurants across the United States, Bahamas, and Europe; and he's won eight James Beard Awards.

These dishes from the prolific celebrity chef and restaurateur highlight the flavors of Africa and Scandinavia, including paprika-roasted leg of lamb, fonio-stuffed collards with sambal, and more.

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Flaky Andouille and Callaloo Hand Pies with Red Pepper Sambal

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (1)

These delicious hand pies are filled with callaloo and andouille, but you can fill them with anything you have on hand — sausage, fish, ham, vegetables, or even fresh crab or chopped pumpkin. Often described as "Indonesian relish," sambal is served alongside the hand pies for dipping.

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Leftover Chicken Soup

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (2)

This soup from Marcus Samuelsson uses the whole bird — from bones to livers — to make a nearly no-waste dinner. First, Samuelsson makes the stock from charred aromatics and chicken bones. Then, he sears the livers and shreds the chicken for the soup. Feel free to substitute store-bought stock and upgrade it by simmering with charred vegetables.

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Fonio-Stuffed Collards with Pepper Sambal and Sauce Moyo

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (3)

For this recipe, Marcus Samuelsson stuffs collards with onions, herbs, and fonio, a tiny grain that has been grown and eaten for thousands of years in West Africa. He seasons his fonio with dawadawa powder, an umami-rich seasoning made from fermented locust beans. Samuelsson's version of sambal is made with roasted red peppers and is used as a sauce to bake with the collards.

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Creamy Parsnip Soup with Pear and Walnuts

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (4)

"I love that root vegetables are so rustic," says Marcus Samuelsson about this earthy, Indian-spiced soup. "I add pear and walnuts for sophistication and crunch." He says that if you can't find sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes), simply use all parsnips instead.

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Black-Eyed Peas with Coconut Milk and Ethiopian Spices

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (5)

This creamy, complex-tasting dish from chef Marcus Samuelsson relies on assertive African flavors like berbere (an Ethiopian spice mix) and coconut milk. Don't leave out the habanero — it's not too hot because it's seeded and adds a fruity, tropical flavor.

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Coconut Chicken with Pickled Pepper Collards

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (6)

"Coconut connects with my African roots," says Ethiopian-born Marcus Samuelsson about a key ingredient in F&W's Challenge. The Top Chef Masters winner also had to use pickled peppers and chicken.

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Gingery Creamed Kale and Cabbage

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (7)

To balance the heartier dishes on his menu, Marcus Samuelsson stirred ginger and turmeric into this vegetable side dish to give it a kick, then added cream and buttermilk to smooth and soften the spicy flavors. This easy recipe can be made well ahead of time and would be fantastic with any kind of feast — including Thanksgiving.

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Roasted Sweet Potato and Okra Salad

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (8)

Marcus Samuelsson drew on African staples like yams and okra to create this completely original recipe of roasted sweet potatoes tossed with red potatoes, wilted spinach, and sautéed okra. Toasted mustard seeds and a caper vinaigrette give this delicious salad a nutty, tangy flavor.

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Tomato-Cucumber Chutney

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (9)

Marcus Samuelsson's curry-laced chutney reflects India's influence on East African cooking. Honey makes the chutney slightly sweet, and sesame seeds, sprinkled over the top just before serving, add crunch.

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Lime-Scented Poppy-Seed Rice Pudding with Mango

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (10)

For centuries, farmers have been growing rice in Senegal, on the western coast of Africa, where it's a staple food. Here, Marcus Samuelsson uses it to create an utterly luxurious pudding, brightening the creamy flavor with grated lime zest, vanilla, and cubes of fresh mango.

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Paprika-Roasted Leg of Lamb

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (11)

Lamb, says Marcus Samuelsson, is one of Africa's most popular meats. Here, he butterflies a leg to help it cook more quickly and rubs it with paprika, ancho chile, and ground cardamom — recalling the fiery Mozambique condiment piri-piri.

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Beaten Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato Jam

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (12)

Marcus Samuelsson makes incredible biscuits, adding a little bit of nutty brown butter to amp up the flavor. He serves them warm, spread with tangy-sweet tomato jam, fried ham, and perfectly scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese.

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Cranberry Caipirinha

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (13)

The slave trade left a strong African imprint on Brazilian cuisine, which is why Marcus Samuelsson chose to serve this classic Brazilian co*cktail at his African-themed party. In his version, however, he muddles cranberries along with the usual lime and replaces the Brazilian spirit cachaça (made from sugarcane juice) with Scandinavian aquavit (an infused spirit).

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Andouille Bread Pudding

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (14)

Each Thanksgiving since he opened his Harlem restaurant, Red Rooster, chef Marcus Samuelsson has been serving this savory, bacon-studded bread pudding, which is a favorite among guests.

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Moroccan-Spiced Turkey

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (15)

This super-easy turkey is flavored with ras el hanout, a North African spice blend. The pan juices, flavored by the citrus-spice mixture that bastes the bird as it roasts, double as a sauce.

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Black-Bottom Peanut Pie

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (16)

This is Marcus Samuelsson’s take on a classic Southern black-bottom pie. He added a peanut-caramel layer on top as an ode to his favorite candy bar, Snickers. “When I was a kid, I would treat myself to a Snickers bar on the way to soccer practice,” he writes in his cookbookMarcus Off Duty. “I don’t eat many candy bars these days, but I still love that combination of flavors.”

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Kale Salad with Root Vegetables and Apple

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (17)

This refreshing salad is one of Marcus Samuelsson's favorite ways to showcase kale; massaging the leaves with vinegar, salt, and olive oil makes them tender and sweet.

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Glögg

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (18)

For this version of Swedish mulled wine, Marcus Samuelsson spikes white wine and rosé with vodka infused with cardamom and ginger. The drink is boozy, aromatic, and delicious.

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Spiced Pecans

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (19)

Marcus Samuelsson puts an Ethiopian spin on spiced pecans, which he tosses with sweet roasted butternut squash in an orange dressing.

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Spiced Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (20)

Marcus Samuelsson updates the apple pie–cheddar combo by hiding the cheese in the flaky crust. The filling is tangy and assertively spiced; Samuelsson includes cardamom, a common sweet seasoning in his native Sweden.

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Spicy Quince Sambal

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (21)

This tart and fiery condiment by Marcus Samuelsson was inspired by the sambal of Cape Malay cooking, brought to South Africa by Indonesian and Malaysian slaves.

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Streetbird’s Return of the Mac

22 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes (22)

This easy and delicious mac and cheese recipe by Marcus Samuelsson features three kinds of cheese, including cream cheese for that extra creaminess.

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