Corn

Sweet corn is perfectly paired with briny clams in this dish that’s easy enough for a weeknight, but elegant enough for a special occasion. Serve it with plenty of good bread to dunk in the broth.

Our go-to I’m-feeling-fancy dinner is a perfectly medium-rare steak and a pile of vegetables. And the more cherry tomatoes, corn, and cucumbers you throw into the mix, the more it’ll feel like summer.

Stir fresh basil and thyme into softened butter, and your grilled corn will taste even sweeter and more aromatic.

Turmeric, chiles, and chewy-nutty cooked grains balance the sweetness of fresh corn in this loose vegan riff on creamed corn.

In the Philippines, mais con yelo is a traditional dessert of crushed ice layered with corn kernels and sweetened milk. For this version, the milk and ice are combined with puréed corn to make a delicious granita.

Other quick-cooking shellfish, such as mussels or medium shelled shrimp, can be substituted for the clams, but you might need an extra splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce.

Turn the iconic cacio e pepe pasta into something a little more kid-friendly by tossing in fresh corn to add a pop of sweetness to every cheesy, peppery bite.

Baking a single large-format tamal in a foil-covered pan set in a roasting pan of hot water produces a similarly tender texture to the corn husk–wrapped variety. The result is a moist, barely sweet cake with pudding vibes.

My fried rice axiom is this: always use a little more ginger than seems appropriate. This is especially true with this fried rice version, enriched with smoky pork and rich bites of sautéed mushrooms.

Millet and glutinous rice flours form the base of these fried, chicken-studded appetizers.

Searing scallops in the amber-hued fat rendered from cooking chorizo results in a gorgeously caramelized crust and gives the shellfish a wonderfully smoky flavor.

Steam a mixture of corn, green beans, and tomatoes in a foil pouch alongside butterflied trout for an easy one-sheet-pan dinner.

Topped off with a simple raw corn salsa, these patties are a crowd-pleasing and low-maintenance summer dinner.

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