Clam

Green chilies, cumin, and chorizo flavor this spicy southwestern rendition of the eastern seaboard classic.

Veracruz-style mixed seafood is the centerpiece of a festive meal that's rounded out with rice and vegetables. To present it as pictured, mound the seafood salad over the Mexican Rice and surround with the Tricolor Vegetable Sauté . A piquant dressing is drizzled over the seafood and mixed into the rice.

Offer crusty bread to dip into the wonderful broth. What to drink: A crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc from California or ice-cold pale ale.

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 50 min Goodale's, on Second Avenue in New York City, became a favorite watering hole of Gourmet's staff after the magazine moved into its new headquarters at 777 Third Avenue in 1965. Goodale's owner, Perce, was renowned for wearing Bermuda shorts all year round. He also gave his name to this popular appetizer. Baked clams were a favorite first course in the '60s, but were often disappointing mushy mounds with nary a minced clam to be found. Goodale's version, which features whole clams and uses packaged stuffing, is the best and most straightforward we've tasted.

This savory, French-inspired dish is also delicious made with mussels instead of, or in addition to, the clams. Either way, it's good with crusty bread to soak up the broth, and a glass of spicy white wine.

It's actually a clam boil, and it’s prepared on the stove top. The secret is to layer the ingredients, like clams, lobsters, potatoes, and sausages, in one pot so that the flavors mingle during cooking.

Here's a zesty, colorful-and lighter version of clam chowder that brings new life to an old favorite. Accompany the chowder with a salad of lettuce, carrots and pickled beets; the muffins; and beer or lemonade. Purchased apple pie with cheddar cheese makes a terrific finale.

Serve the Chunky Tomato and Black Olive Salad and some white wine with this crisp-crusted pizza. A nice ending would be coffee gelato-or regular coffee ice cream-and chocolate biscotti.

A bed of rock salt helps keep the cooked clams in place on the platter.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Miso soup — a fermented-soybean broth — is not difficult to make at home. Freeze the ginger and thaw it before squeezing; that way, extracting the juice will be easy. Chilled sake goes well with the meal.

Chef Jody Adams of Rialto at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge is famous for this type of rustic dish. At the restaurant she serves the stew on mashed potatoes.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

I once owned a summer cottage on Sawyer's Island in Maine. The little cove in front of the house, too small to be named on navigational charts, was called Clam Cove by the locals. I never did any clamming — fishing was my thing — but I have a vivid memory of the muddy flats at low tide, feeling the soft-shell clams under my feet and seeing their tiny sprays coming out of the mud as they burrowed down to get out of my way. Soft-shell clams have two oval shells, about two to three inches long, that gape along the edges. Their most prominent feature is a siphon, about a quarter of the length of the shell, which sticks out of the clam. Whole soft-shell clams are often referred to as "steamers," because that is the way they are most often prepared. When salty old-timers refer to "clams," soft-shells are what they mean. Shucked raw, soft-shell clams may be called "fryers" or "frying clams." Frying clams make a superb chowder, but they are very expensive because of the labor involved in shucking them. I prefer to steam whole soft-shell clams for chowder. That way, I save a few dollars and get a fantastic broth in the process. The flavor of steamer broth is sweeter and more subtle and round than the pungent broth quahogs (hard-shell clams) yield. The chowder made from steamers may have a little less strength up front, but it is equal to quahog chowder in deep lingering flavor. To celebrate the difference, I use salt pork instead of bacon in steamer chowder, I don't add garlic, and I use fewer herbs and seasoning, letting the luscious little clams provide most of the flavor. And they always rise to the occasion, producing one of the most delicious chowders imaginable.