Clam Cooking Chronicles Article Two – Salted Steamed Clams

Serve up a flavorful and wonderful dish of steamed clams when you follow this mouth-watering recipe. Just remember, sometimes the most delicious dishes require a little effort to prepare. Quick prep is not always the way to go. These Portuguese-style steamed clams are one of many dishes you’ll want to make sure you spend enough time preparing. get ready. Choose a good wine and opt for a salad and a tasty garnish. Maybe you could make a dessert the night before, just to save time. Make sure you have a fresh loaf of delicious bread, as well as some lemon, and use shallow dishes of melted salty butter to dip the clams in.

Use fresh clams for this recipe, you will need five pounds of clams still on the shell; be sure to scrub them well. The night before making this dish, soak the clams in salted water, a splash of vinegar, cornmeal, and a combination of fresh black pepper and cayenne pepper. If you don’t soak them overnight, be sure to soak the clams for at least a couple of hours before you start. You will also need a pound and a half thickly sliced ​​chorizo, a 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, a quarter cup olive oil, fresh lemon, one large thinly sliced ​​onion, a half cup ground chorizo. and two glasses of white wine.

You will need 30-40 minutes to prepare your dish, and it will cook for approximately 20 minutes. This is because sometimes the cooking time will vary depending on where you live, especially if you reside significantly above sea level. The first time I made one of my favorite dishes in a mountain cabin instead of in the valley, even though it was a recipe I had made over a dozen times before, it didn’t come out exactly the same and I was very disappointed. So consider elevation as a factor in your cooking time, if that particular concern applies.

Alright, so you have your ingredients and plenty of time; your clams have soaked for at least a couple of hours and you are ready to cook. Here’s how you do it: Wash your clams in cold water. Next, discard any clams that are already partially open. Prepare the clams in a stockpot with a tight-fitting lid. Then add the sausage, thinly sliced ​​onion, diced tomatoes, and white wine. Next, cover the pot and raise the heat to high. Steam the clams over high heat until all the clams have opened. Shake the pot periodically to ensure that the clams heat and steam evenly. Finally, drizzle your quarter cup of olive oil gradually over the cooked clams and divide the ingredients evenly into shallow bowls. Separate broth into individual side glasses for dipping; you’ll also want to have melted butter on hand, as I mentioned earlier. Cut the lemons into slices and serve them with the main course as a side dish or to give it more flavor, as desired.

I usually store my bread in a warmer or bake it fresh just before serving this dish. I like to serve a fresh mixed greens salad to start when the clams are done steaming, so they can be served piping hot. Asparagus with fresh Parmesan is a delicious garnish for this recipe. Serve with a white wine of your choice, or water with lemon wedges for a non-alcoholic alternative. Fruits and fine cheeses, like a nice and fancy brie, can serve as a tempting dessert. Or maybe you could serve a baked cheesecake or angel food cake with a nice fruit dressing to finish off the meal. And don’t forget to offer coffee!

This recipe can boost your reputation as a cook more than you expected, so don’t skimp on the details. Presentation is also key. Things like lighting, tablecloths, plates, napkins, centerpieces, and even candles are very important to consider when preparing a meal, especially one as flavorful as this steamed clam dish.