Corn, Bacon, and Clam Stew
Matt Greco
Photo by Rocky Luten
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
- 6 ears corn, shucked and cut from the cobs
- Salt, to taste
- 1/2 pound sungold yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
- half of one lemon
- 3 tablespoon bourbon
- 16 littleneck clams, scrubbed well
- 8 thick slices country bread, for serving
- small handful basil leaves, torn
Featured Video
We tend to think of one-pot meals as limited to cold wintry nights. But some of the best one pot meals, like paella and clam bakes, are made for summer time. Matt Greco, the chef at Char No. 4 in Brooklyn, came up with a marvelous corn dish that’s layered into a braising pot on the stove (though you could also do it out on your grill if you’d like.). Matt browns bacon (he makes his own, of course, but you should use whatever kind you like from the grocery store), then adds smoked paprika, corn, and bourbon. To finish the dish, he nestles littleneck clams into the corn, letting them steam open right in the pot, and showers the dish with chopped basil. Summer squared. - A
Directions
- Step 1
Place a large, deep heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and bacon, and cook until the fat is rendered and the lardons are browned. Stir in the paprika and cook for 30 seconds.
- Step 2
Add the corn, season with salt, and stir, cooking for about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cover. Cook until the tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Squeeze in the juice from the lemon and pour in the bourbon, stir, and turn off the heat. Add the clams with the mouth facing up. Turn on the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook the until the clams open, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill or toast the bread. Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle with basil, and bring the bread and the pot -- and a trivet -- to the table for serving.