Clams Casino
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 148
- Total Fat
- 8
- Saturated Fat
- 2
- Carbohydrates
- 7
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 1
- Protein
- 9
- Cholesterol
- 21
- Sodium
- 362
- Total: 55 min (includes soaking time)
- Active: 35 min
Ingredients
24 to 26 littleneck clams
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 slices center-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup finely diced shallot (2 to 3 shallots)
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper (from 1 pepper)
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, for garnish
Directions
- Soak the clams in cold water to purge any sand, about 20 minutes. Then scrub them clean to remove any dirt or barnacles from the outer shells and then drain.
- Add the white wine and cleaned clams to a large saucepan. Cover and heat over medium. After a few minutes, check to see if any of the clams have opened. Once they start opening, remove the opened clams to a large bowl to cool. Cover the pot and wait another minute or so before checking to see if any more clams have opened. Discard any clams that don’t open after 5 minutes. Once all the clams have been removed, turn the heat down to low and let the white wine and clam juice mixture reduce until there is about 1/3 cup of liquid left.
- In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to render its fat and slightly browns, about 2 minutes. Next, add the shallots and bell pepper. Cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Use a small fine-mesh sieve to strain the 1/3 cup of white wine-clam juice mixture into the skillet. Stir to combine and cook until the mixture is slightly reduced and cohesive, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and preheat the oven to broil.
- Mix the panko, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Carefully remove the top shell from each clam and use a spoon to loosen the meat from the bottom shell. Place the meat back into the bottom shell and then onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Divide the bacon mixture evenly among the clams, using a spoon to pack the mixture tightly into the shell. Top each of the clams with about 1 teaspoon of the panko mixture.
- Transfer the clams to the broiler and cook until the breadcrumbs are just golden brown, 30 seconds to a 1 minute. Keep an eye on them as the browning can happen quite quickly.
- Remove the clams from the oven and use tongs to transfer them to a serving plate. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately.