Hearty Tomato Seafood Stew with Clams

This stew is my answer to a grey afternoon when I want something that tastes like a harbor town without much fuss. The base is a humble tomato broth, the kind of thing fishing families in coastal Spain, Italy, and Portugal have made for generations, using whatever the morning's catch and the pantry could spare. Smoked paprika is the secret here. It gives the broth a campfire warmth that makes you forget you are eating something mostly made of vegetables and seafood.

A fact worth knowing about clams: littleneck clams filter water as they feed, which is why they can carry a little grit inside. Soaking them in cold water for an hour, as the recipe asks, gives them a chance to spit out sand before they go in the pot. Give them a quick look before cooking too. Any clam that stays shut after it has been in the steam for a few minutes should be tossed, and the same goes for any that were already open and did not close when tapped.

Potatoes are a good choice for this stew because they hold their shape in brothy liquid and soak up the flavor of the tomato and paprika. If you want a bit more body without extra starch, you can leave the skins on and cut them into large chunks. Keep the lemon juice until the very end. Its brightness lifts everything, and it tastes flat if it has been simmering for a long time.

For leftovers, the stew keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or two. Shellfish is always best eaten fresh, so I would treat the leftovers as a second, lighter meal rather than something to store for later in the week. Reheat gently, and do not let it boil hard, or the shrimp will turn rubbery. If the broth has thickened overnight, loosen it with a splash of water or extra broth.

Serve the stew in wide bowls with plenty of crusty bread for mopping up the broth. A crisp green salad alongside works well, and so does something a little sweet and earthy, like the Sweet Potato Salad with Arugula and Pecans, which balances the spice nicely. If you are cooking for a crowd and want another seafood dish on the table, the Oven Baked Tilapia with Garden Vegetables is an easy companion that does not compete with the stew for attention.