If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to celebrate eating clams, tomorrow is your day to shine in Kathey Jo’s Kitchen. There’s a rule of thumb that states that we should only eat shellfish in months with the letter R. I’d never heard of that before, but as with most rules of thumb, there’s a logical reason behind it. The natural occurrence of red tide is higher in the summer. Plus, you should give the shellfish a chance to replenish naturally during the summer. Do you have a favorite way to enjoy your clams? Let your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen know in the comments, and maybe you’ll find a new way yourself.
How to Shuck Clams
Wash clams in a colander under cold running water, taking care to discard any with cracked shells and those that remain open after rinsing. Clams that don’t close are dead. If you are right-handed, hold the clam in your left hand with the hinge at the top, parallel with your left thumb. Rest the lower edge of the clam in the center of your palm.
Directions
- Place the blade of a clam knife in the seam under the C-shaped notch next to the hinge, and press inward. When the blade is halfway between the shells, twist the knife upward to open the clam, holding the top and bottom shells apart in place with the edge of your index finger.
- Draw the tip of the clam knife into the clam, and run it along the inside of the shell to cut the adductor muscles from the top half. The clam meat should settle into the bottom shell. Use your fingers to continue pushing the top half of the shell away from the bottom half.
- Loosen the clam from its adductor muscles on the bottom half of the shell.
Baked Clams
Ingredients
- 2 dozen well-scrubbed, hard shell clams
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1⁄4 cup butter
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons Italian style breadcrumbs
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Directions
- Put clams in a large kettle or clam pot with the water; cook over moderate heat, until the shells open.
- Remove from the heat and when cool enough to handle, pluck the whole clams from the shells; save half the shells.
- Meanwhile, blend together the butter, garlic, parsley and bread crumbs.
- Set each clam back into a half shell and spread about a teaspoon of the mixture atop each clam in a shell.
- Arrange filled shells in a baking dish and broil 4″ from the heat source until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
