Clam

Sometimes, mid-cooking, I like to jettison my plan and make a new, better plan. The trick is knowing when it’s better. I’m not saying I randomly hobble myself, cruelty-cooking-show style, it’s just that it’s exciting to change it up sometimes. And it surprises the family. Historically, some of the best jettison dinners at my house have started out as regular old pasta night and ended up as gather-around-the-skillet-with-bowls-and-bread night. This was one of those.

You don’t need pasta to enjoy clam sauce. Here it mingles with fresh corn to top delicate pan-seared cod fillets.

In this festive feast, all the best components of a classic clambake—potatoes, shrimp, corn on the cob—get an extra layer of flavor via gingery miso butter.

This updated chowder recipe is made with buttermilk—which lends brightness to the creamy broth—and smoked trout, giving the soup an extra layer of flavor without any extra work.

Coconut cream is what gives this soup its velvety richness. Otherwise it’d just be green juice and noodles!

These Thai-inspired clams are salty, tangy, and rich from the coconut milk.

Shellfish and pork are a power duo. The backbone of this clam toast is a salty-sweet pancetta soffritto with onions, fennel, and lemon zest, which add a sweet, bright flavor.

Don’t feel like cooking indoors? Toss a cast-iron pan right on the grill for a saucy dish of clams and chickpeas, and char some bread alongside for dipping.

To serve this dish as a main course for eight, double the recipe over two pots and throw some warm baguettes on the table.

Any type of medium white beans work for this one-pot dinner. Just make sure to enjoy it with a side of country-style bread for soaking up the lemony, herb-packed sauce.

A vinegary red bell pepper mixture cuts through the richness of this classic Italian-American appetizer for a bite that's salty, smoky, and sweet.

Don’t be tempted to disturb the gnocchi when browning—the hands-off approach is key to letting them develop a deep brown color on one side. This recipe is from Oberlin, one of Bon Appétit's Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Italian-food purists might balk at the combination of clams and Parm, but we swear it’s delicious.

Let this creamy, herb-packed seafood dinner convince you that clams deserve a spot in your weeknight dinner rotation.