Clams

Photo from www.diggerschoice-seafood.com

Our Montauk neighbor gave us 2 dozen live clams the other day.  He said they’d keep for up to a week in the fridge.  Thankful for the recipe ideas from friends after sending out a plea for help on facebook, I decided that I’d do something with those clams.

Dad and Gramps would know exactly what to do.  They’d make Clams Casino.  It’s a classic and their version is legend.  But that required too many ingredients I didn’t already have.  So I settled on steamed clams in a white wine sauce with pasta.  We didn’t have white wine in the kitchen, but I found a bottle of white zinfandel.  Close enough, right?

I don’t know if I made them “right”.  I read so many different recipes online that I think I probably combined them all.  I scrubbed the clams after soaking them in salt water.  I steamed them in the white zinfandel.  I cooked up some pasta in another pot and on a third burner I sauteed chopped onions and garlic in butter with a dash of tabasco.  When the clams opened up, I took each one out, sliced out the clam, tossed the meat in the butter mixture, and tossed the empty shells in a bag.   After adding the pasta, I poured the steamed clam “juice” through a paper towel (to catch any sand) into the mixture. It was a long, arduous process.  If anyone ever makes live/fresh clams for you, know that it is a labor of love.

The pasta was great!  How can you go wrong with a sauce of butter, garlic and onions?!  But the clams…?  Here’s what I discovered:

1. I don’t like clams.  It’s a texture thing.
2. Clams are a LOT of work
3. Please see #1.

Maybe I’ll try Dad & Gramps’ Clams Casino recipe if someone ever gives me clams again.

(Oh!  Knowing it would probably take a while to make this feast, I whipped up an appetizer to tide us over:  it was the BEST guacamole I’ve ever made.  WOW – I could’ve eaten that all night!)