Ingredients:

1 small-medium Vidalia onion, small dice
3 slices thick cut bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 lb small potatoes, halved*
1 bunch red radishes, quartered (save leaves for another use)
1 cup stock, water or clam juice
2 bay leaves
3 ears’ worth of corn kernels
4 sprigs thyme
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
50 littleneck clams

olive oil

Directions:

Fry the bacon in a dutch oven until crisp. Remove the bacon. Remove excess fat as needed, leaving about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons left in the pan. Saute the onion, radish and potatoes until the potatoes and radish are nearly fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes. Add the stock and deglaze the pan. Add the remaining ingredients and the bacon back to the pan. Cover and cook until the clams open, about 5-8 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.

*Or quartered, I used Yukon Royale potatoes which are small but a few needed to be quartered

My thoughts:

One of the things I love best about living in the Mid-Atlantic is all of the seafood. We have oysters, clams, crabs and even scallops available that have been harvested from less than 2 1/2 hours from where I live. I was lucky enough to find these Chesapeake, Va clams right in the seafood department of my local grocery store. I scooped them up and brought them home to make this one pot meal. It was so easy yet so delish! Clams make the meal seem special, but honestly, it was quicker than most weeknight meals I make. Tossing in the corn and radishes totally eliminated the need for a side dish.

Pro tip: Use a spider (or large slotted spoon, but I prefer the spider) to scoop the clams and vegetables out of the pot to serve and take care to check for any lost clams at the bottom of the pot. I find littleneck clams make their way out their shells much more easily than larger clams or mussels.