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Steamed Clams

By Sam Sifton

Steamed Clams
Davide Luciano for The New York Times. Food stylist: Claudia Ficca. Prop stylist: Gozde Eker.
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(343)
Comments
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The recipe that follows is for a mess of clams, which on the eastern end of Long Island translates as a cool 100 littleneck hard-shell clams. You can certainly cook fewer of them, particularly if all you can find is the larger cherrystone clam, but a reasonable human can eat two dozen clams at a sitting, mopping up the broth with crusty bread. You can add herbs or other aromatics to the steaming liquid (thyme or garlic, say, or cilantro, parsley, tarragon). You can add chorizo or bacon. The point is just to create steam, and to allow the clams to open within it. Eat the clams with the liquid from the interior of their shells, and perhaps some melted butter. A fiery jalapeño brown butter is currently a favorite dip.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings
  • 100littleneck clams
  • 1tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ¼cup diced chorizo or bacon, optional
  • 2cups beer, approximately 1 can or bottle
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

166 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 895 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Carefully scrub the clams under cold running water to remove sand and grit, then set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter in a large pot set over medium heat, and when it foams, add the chorizo or bacon, and allow it to crisp, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the beer to the pot (use just 1 cup if cooking 50 or fewer clams), and allow to heat through, then carefully add the clams in layers. Cover the pot, and allow the clams to steam and open, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Serve in the pot, or use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove clams to a platter, and serve alongside a bowl of the remaining clam broth and melted butter.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
343 user ratings
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Comments

Andree Abramoff

We simply love clams in all and any form. This is a favorite recipe of my grandchildren (and their parents and grandparents)!
Mediterranean-style Clams
3-4 dz. littlenecks
½ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
¼ cup white wine
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 lemon sliced
1 Tbs. chopped cilantro
Salt & pepper

Toast garlic slices lightly in olive oil. Pour wine, lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add clams, S&P, cover and cook until clams open up.
Garnish with lemon slices and chopped cilantro.

stargazer, pacific northwest

Well, Dad, this one's for you. Our "recipe" consisted of: 2 cups of beer a table spoon of butter a mess o' clams steam serve with: wheat thins jarlsberg cheese a bottle of brut champagne and a cribbage board! I miss you, Dad.

Edith

My favorite approach is several cloves of garlic, minced; an ounce or two of chorizo, chopped; a ripe late summer tomato or two, chopped. Start with a splash of olive oil or a bit of butter in a large pot, toss in the chorizo and garlic, then the tomato, then a cup or two of white wine, and the clams. You could add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Simmer, and throw in a handful or so of chopped cilantro. The more wine, the more sourdough bread you'll need to consume all that delicious broth.

Jennifer

For a Bay Area CA girl, what kind of clams do you suggest?

skippa.

We grew up on Cape Cod and dug steamers for our dinner two nights a week. Forget scrubbing, put in heavily salted water (or seawater if you live close enough) with a half cup of cornmeal for two hours. Clams express the sand and grit in that time and it is replaced with the cornmeal. Steam in beer. Steam til they open, it’s not a time thing it’s a watch the steamers thing. Adding herbs I suppose is your thing, but don’t call them steamers then.

John L.

«Carefully scrub the clams under cold running water to remove sand and grit, then set aside.» 100 clams. That ain't no 10-minute recipe.

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