Negotiating pay when I have been out of work after 12 years as a line cook

A recruiter asked for my salary expectations on a first call as I look for work as a line cook. This is my first time dealing with any of this. I also do not want to sell myself short. How do you research fairly?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 12 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.