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Written by Mike Plaia
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Originally Published in Nor'east Saltwater Magazine By Eileen Plaia
Clams are readily available all year round. However, I always think summer when I think clams. They conjure up pictures of lazy summer days sitting at an outdoor clam bar after a day at the beach and devouring plate after plate of these succulent bivalves moments after they have been taken our of their icy bed and shucked. All they need is a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dab of spicy cocktail sauce. It doesn’t get any better than that!!
The most popular clams for serving raw on the half shell are littlenecks. They are the smallest Atlantic hard-shell clam. They must measure at least an inch from the point of the hinge to the top. Two-inch littlenecks are sometimces called topnecks. They are delicious raw and both of these clams are excellent broiled Cherrystone clams are the next largest clam and can be eaten raw on the half shell and are also good chopped, seasoned, replaced in the shell and baked. Chowder clams are just that - they are mainly used for chowder. The clams can be opened raw or steamed to open and then chopped for chowders and clam pies. Mahogany clams, a deep-ocean hard-shell clam dredged off the Maine coast, are about the size of a littleneck. They are a little chewy when raw, but fine to steam or stew.There are several other types of hard-shell clams but these are the most popular. And now we come to the well-known soft-shell clam, the steamer. These are best steamed and eaten after a dunk into their clam broth to clean any sand left on them and then a dip into some melted butter. They are also excellent fried. Clam strips come from the steamer. The strips are the meat on the sides of the clam, but when you see them on a menu, fresh, fried whole-bellied clams are a real treat if you are a clam lover.
If you do not dig your own clams, and don’t have a generous friend who does, you’ll have to head to the fish market. Fresh clams come to market in the shell or already shucked. Clams should be firmly closed and odorless. If a clam is slightly opened, pinch it closed. If it remains closed on it’s own, it’s alive. If it remains open, discard it. Sometimes a clam will be bad even if it is alive. When you open it raw, the smell gives it away. When fresh, clams should be juicy and have a mild, briny aroma.Softshell clams, whose shells never close, will draw back their longneck into their shell when you touch them. If the neck is hanging limply, discard that clam. To store clams, keep them in the refrigerator in a large, loosely covered container or in a large plastic bag punched with ventilation holes. Clams need air to survive. If you are purchasing clams at the market, make sure the bag has air holes even if you are not far from home.
When you are ready to prepare your clams, scrub the shells under cold running water with a stiff vegetable brush. Discard any with broken or gaping shells. There is a difference of opinion whether to soak clams in some water for awhile with a little cornmeal to make them expel any sand. I don’t bother with the corn meal, I like to put them in a colander which is in a pot of cold water and ice for about a half hour. Then I remove them from the water and refrigerate if I’m not ready to use them. Clams that are left to rest and are not disturbed open easier than clams that have been tossed around. If you have never opened clams the best way to learn is to observe someone who does. Many fish markets will open your clams for you if you give them some notice. Make sure they also give you the delicious clam liquid. I personally let my “better half” open the clams at our house.
Now that we’ve discussed the basics, let’s cook!
MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER
18 large hard-shell chowder clams, well rinsed
1/4 cup flour
2 stalks celery
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoonspeppercorns
1 cup canned tomatoes, drained well and chopped
6 cupswater
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 cup clarified butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup diced, peeled potatoes
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
Put the clams, celery stalks, peppercorns and water in a large pot with a lid. Cover pot , bring to a boil and then simmer until the clams open.
Remove clams and pour liquid through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Save the liquid.
Chop the clams and set aside.
Using the same pot, heat the clarified butter. Add the diced potatoes, diced celery and onion, and briefly sauté them until they all are glazed with the butter. Add the flour and stir while cooking until the flour is mixed with the vegetables.
Add the clam broth, tomato paste and tomatoes. Mix well . Make a little pouch out of the cheesecloth and tie the dried thyme in it. Add it to the pot and bring the pot to a simmer. After ten minutes, remove the thyme. Continue simmering the pot for 1 1/2 half hours.
Add the chopped clams. Simmer for 30 minutes. Check to see if the chowder needs salt and pepper and serve.
Cook’s note: Butter is clarified because it does not burn as easily as butter right out of the package. Always clarify more butter than you need. In this case, we need 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons of butter), so we will melt about 6 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan, or you can also use the microwave. After the butter is melted discard the foam off the top with a spoon and let the butter stand a few minutes. You will see that the butter has separated. Pour off and use the clear liquid and discard the milky layer on the bottom. Clarified butter is also used as a dipping butter for lobster. This chowder is not a thick chowder, but it is a delicious one!
NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
2 dozen large hard-shell clams, rinsed
2 cups water
1/4 pound salt pork, diced
1 medium onion,chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons butter
In a large pot, combine the clams and 2 cups of water. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the clams open.
Pour the liquid through a strainer lined with cheesecloth and set aside.
Remove the clams from their shells, chop them and set aside.
In the same pot, heat the salt pork until the pieces are crisp and set aside.
Add the onion to the pot and cook in the fat left from the salt pork until the onion is softened.
Measure the clam broth and add water to make 3 1/2 cups if necessary.
Add the broth, potatoes and thyme to the pot, bring to a boil, and then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat.
| Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the half-and -half, chopped clams and butter to the pan. Bring the chowder just to a boil , add salt and pepper as needed and serve with some crisp salt pork bits on each bowl of chowder.
LINGUINE WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup minced parsley
1/8 teaspoon oregano ( a pinch )
1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use a chablis or a pinot grigio, whatever I’m serving with the meal )
2 cans ( 6 1/2 ounces each ) chopped clams with juice
6 ounces mushrooms, sliced ( 2 cups )
8 ounces linguine, cooked and drained
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Optional, but makes this dish extra special - 1 dozen littlenecks
In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in butter and oil until. Stir in parsley, oregano, wine, canned clams with juice, mushrooms, and simmer uncovered for five minutes. Then, if adding the fresh clams also, put clams in pan and cook over medium heat with cover on until clams open. Check often, don’t overcook. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over hot linguine. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Cook’s Notes: If you don’t have parsley on hand, don’t worry. The dish is still very good. The raw clams are delicious, but this is a great dinner if you don’t have much on hand, I’ve served it many times without the raw clams.
STUFFIES
Everyone who likes seafood has their own particular favorite stuffie or chowder , whether they make it themselves or go to their favorite restaurant. This recipe is a compilation of stuffies I’ve tried and my own efforts to experiment. After a year working in a Japanese restaurant and trying to absorb their wonderful cooking methods and recipes, I began to use the panko breadcrumbs in many recipes just as the chefs did for seafood, pork, and chicken. At that time panko could only be found in Asian markets. Now, I’ve noticed these breadcrumbs in many supermarkets. They are however less expensive in the Asian markets, and I hope you have the opportunity to try them. The first time you make the stuffies you will need large shells for the stuffing. You may have to buy whole clams and have someone open them for you. The number of clams will vary depending on the size. If I have whole clams and have them shucked I put them in my food processor until they are about 1/4 inches in size. Whether or not you buy them in a quart container in which case they’re already chopped, or chop them yourself, run your fingers through to check for shells and for any large pieces of clam which should be removed and chopped. After you ‘ve consumed the stuffies save the shells for the next batch. I wash them thoroughly and then to make sure they are completely clean, I put them in the dishwasher. When dry they go in plastic bags for the next time.
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup finely minced bacon
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely choped celery
1 quart chopped hardshell clams with their juice
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Tabasco
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 stick salted butter
4 cups panko bread crumbs
In a large skillet heat the oil and add the bacon, garlic, celery and onion cooking over a medium heat until vegetables are soft and the bacon is crisp. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat and add the clames, parsley, lemon juice, Tabasco and Worcestershire. Increase the heat until bubbles form but do not let it boil. Lessen the heat to low and add the butter and 3 cups of the panko to start. Cook over the low heat, stirring and if necessary add more crumbs until the mixture is somewhat firm but not dry. Remove from the heat and spoon the filling into the clam shells. Place the clams on a baking sheet and bake until heated through and brown, about 20 minutes.
Cook’s note: These clams can also be made ahead of time and frozen. Just cook a little longer, about 10 minutes more.
BAKED CLAMS OREGANATA
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 dozen littleneck clams – on the half shell
Preheat oven to 475 degrees
Mix all ingredients except clams in a bowl. The mixture should resemble wet sand. Holding the clam so that the juice isn’t lost, spoon enough of the bread crumb mixture to cover the clam. Place clams in a shallow baking pan and bake for ten minutes or until the bread-crumb topping is golden brown.
Cook’s note: Easy, and delicious!
STEAMED CLAMS
3 dozen littlenecks
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
10 cloves garlic
Melt butter and add olive oil and heat. Add garlic cloves, chopped or very thinly sliced. Saute for a moment but do not brown. Add wine and clams, cover put and cook over medium-high heat until clams are open. Serve with lots of Italian or Portuguese bread.
Last but not least, I realize this is a recipe without proportions, but it is too good not to pass on to you, it’s a most requested dish in our household; they are made by the trayfuls, and never a leftover!
CAPTAIN MIKE’S CLAMS CASINO
Ingredients:
Garlic Powder
Dry White Wine
Bell Pepper
Bacon
Use a cookie sheet that is a little bit larger than what is needed for the amount of clams. It is very important that you be extremely sloppy when preparing the clams. Spill wine all over the cookie sheet; make sure that plenty of the garlic powder finds its way onto the sheet. When you cut the bacon strips to size take the fatty parts of the strip and place them onto the cookie sheet. The combination of clam juice, white wine, garlic powder and bacon fat that winds up on the cookie sheet but outside the clams will be used as the sauce for each clam after they are cooked.
For each clam: After opening, place on cookie sheet. Spoon a teaspoon or two (enough to fill the clam shell) of the white wine onto the clam. Sprinkle very liberally with garlic powder. Place a square of bell pepper in the middle of the clam. Cover clam with a strip of meaty bacon, cut to the appropriate size.
Bake the clams for about 20 minutes in a 350-degree oven. When the clams are cooked, place them under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp the bacon. After you arrange the clams on your serving dish or tray, spoon the sauce left on the cookie sheet into each clam, filling the shell with the sauce.
Bon Appetit!
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