Recipe: Corn, Tomatoes, and Clams on Grilled Bread, Knife-and-Fork–Style

Post by Olivia Blodgett, Registered Dietitian

Summer is the season that I get incredibly inspired to cook. The fresh produce is abundant and so delicious as is that you really don’t need or want to do much to it to alter it’s natural flavor. Our unseasonable early heat this year made we want to jump the gun and start using fresh corn and tomatoes in dishes but a visit to the farmer’s market this weekend reminded me that it’s still a little early for these favorites. So I’m just going to leave this recipe here for you to bookmark for when it’s time in a few weeks. This and panzanella are my absolute two favorite recipes of the entire year. Here’s to long summer days, swimming in rivers, gorging on juicy berries and eating outside. This truly is the best time of year!

Corn, Tomatoes, and Clams on Grilled Bread, Knife-and-Fork–Style

Recipe from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables © 2017 by Joshua McFadden.

INGREDIENTS

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed (including 1/2 inch off the green tops), sliced on a sharp angle
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes (a mix of colors and varieties), halved if large
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound small clams, such as Manila, rinsed
• 1/2 cup dry, unoaked white wine
• 1/2 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 large ears sweet corn, husked, kernels sliced off into a bowl (about 1 1/3 cups kernels)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Four 1/2-inch-thick slices country bread, grilled, rubbed with garlic, and kept warm

PREPARATION

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic and cook slowly to toast the garlic so it’s very soft, fragrant, and nicely golden brown—but not burnt—about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds or so, stirring and scraping so the tomato doesn’t burn but does get a bit darker. Add the scallions and cook, stirring, until they start to get fragrant and soft, another minute or so.
• Add the tomatoes, chile flakes, and butter, and season generously with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring the tomatoes occasionally, until they start to burst and render their juices, another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the clams and wine, cover the pan, and cook until the clams all open; this could take as little as 2 minutes or up to 6 minutes, depending on the size and type of clams. When the clams are open (toss out any that refuse to open even after another couple of minutes cooking), add the parsley, corn, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the sauce with more salt, black pepper, chile flakes, or lemon juice.
• Arrange the grilled bread on plates or in shallow bowls and spoon the corn and clams over the top, dividing the juices evenly, too. Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil, and serve with a knife and fork, and a bowl for empty shells.