All Creatures of the Sea

• You can model your nachos after your favorite seafood dish. If you love clam chowder, for example, use clams and corn kernels along with your favorite salsa, and top the nachos with a creamy white cheese sauce. To recreate an oyster po' boy sandwich, choose small oysters or cut large ones into small pieces and sprinkle the cornmeal-coated, cooked nuggets over the chips, topped with a hot sauce and a bit of creamy aioli mayonnaise.

Fishy Sauce and Salsa

• Flaked or chopped fish of any kind give nacho cheese sauces and salsas delicious depths of flavor. For a seafood salsa, add minced shrimp or clams, lemon juice, chopped lemon flesh, chopped red onions and cilantro to your favorite commercial or homemade salsa. For lobster or crab nachos, keep the fish in larger chunks or flakes so their flavor and texture remain. Both lobster and crab pair well with Gruyere, goat, Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese.

Let Them Eat Ceviche

• Use tuna, scallops, shrimp or your favorite seafood for ceviche-style nachos sprinkled with either lemon or lime juice. Or, if you have access to very fresh seafood, serve the fish raw and marinated in a citrus sauce with capers and Dijon mustard and scallions. Serve ceviche or raw nachos with an avocado or spicy salsa on the side so your guests can build their own bites and the nachos don't become soggy.

Smoked and Flaked

• Smoked fish, such as salmon or trout, gives nachos an earthy appeal. Flavors that pair well with all smoked fish include avocados for a cool and creamy contrast to the smokiness; bacon or ham, to crumble on top of the nachos and echo the smokiness; barbecue sauce, to use instead of salsa; or roasted red peppers for brightness. Top these nachos with a smoked cheese to highlight the smoky flavors.