I am l ooking for a recipe for clams. How should I purchase them, and which white

[Sassy Shut Your Mouth]

wine is best to serve with? them? What else should I prepare with the clams? I am planning a romantic dinner next week for my b/f and I. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[David H]

Being a former chef and having worked for a seafood wholesaler, the smaller the clam the tenderer the meat, little neck, pasta and manila clams are best for sauces, casino or as an appetizer, when you get into the larger Quahogs they are soup clams and have to be cooked longer.

Specialty ones like razor, green cockles or blue shell even the surf clams from the US and Canada are nice for sauces and appetizers, it depends on what you plan on doing with the clams, as a a pasta sauce either red or white sauce, I use fresh pasta, for an appetizer like clams casino, it is just making the crumb topping, I use a bit of bacon and mix some parmesan cheese it the filling.

I am not a fan of raw clams, I just don't like opening them steaming them like mussels with herbs, onions, garlic, and tomatos in a wine broth.

To drink for seafood I like Italian or Greek white wines, they have a more pungent flavour, Colli Albani or even a nice Greek Retsina is a nice contrast tot the briney flavour of the clam dishes.

 

[chefgrille]

When you find the recipe, buy 1.5 X what you need, at least. Some won't open during cooking and you have to throw them out. I'd use a light white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. Not chardonnay! Too buttery and oak-y. For a side I'd do pasta and maybe steamed aspargus with hollandaise. And a green salad.

 

[Tara C]

This is the easiest recipe ever and it doesn't take much.

In a sautee pan add a little bit of olive oil, 2 sliced shallots, 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper on low until the garlic and shallots are just transparent. Then add 1/2 c. of dry white wine. Any will do. I usually use a Chardonnay. Then add 1 dozen little neck clams to the sauce pan. Once the clams have just begun to open take them out of the pan. Then let this reduce by 1/3, just until the sauce thickens. Then add 3 tbsp of butter and whisk together. Add about 3/4 box of prepared linguini to the sauce with the clams and let cook another 2 minutes. Make sure you cook the linguini about 2 minutes less than the box instructs you to. Top with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with salad and fresh crunchy bread. If your pasta gets dry use a little bit of the pasta water to moisten.

You can use this same process, but add small can of diced tomatoes. You might need to simmer it a little longer, and you probably wont need to add any pasta water to it as well. This I would top with fresh torn basil. The same with heavy cream.

Just make sure that you taste the sauce before you add the clams and pasta back to the sauce. You might need to salt and pepper.