Steamed Littleneck Clams

A couple of times this summer, on those days when the weather was excellent for eating dinner outside, it was the perfect opportunity to  make those kind-of-messy-to-eat meals. Paired with boiled lobster, this was a great accompaniment to a seafood feast!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons “butter”
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 pounds of littleneck clams – rinsed and cleaned

Directions

In a large stock pot, melt “butter” over medium heat. Add garlic, stirring regularly so it does not burn, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high. When wine is simmering, add clams to pot, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the clams have opened. Remove from heat and give clams a few minutes to cool before handling. Discard any that did not open. Transfer to a large serving bowl and if you like, pour wine sauce back over the clams.

Jambalaya

This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa – all I did to modify was to remove the butter. With so many fresh favors in this dish, I promise you won’t miss a thing. The original can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/shrimp-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound kielbasa or andouille sausage – sliced
• 1 pound smoked ham – cubed
• 1 medium onion – diced
• 1 cup celery – diced
• 1 green bell pepper – diced
• 1 red bell pepper – diced
• 1 cup tomato – seeded and diced
• 3 garlic cloves – minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper – seeded and minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme – chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups long-grain rice – rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
• ½ cup scallions – chopped  
• ¾ cup fresh parsley – chopped
• ¼  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp – cleaned with tails removed

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the scallions, parsley, lemon juice and shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.

Clam Stew

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package white mushrooms – sliced
• 1 ½ cups celery – chopped
• 1 ½ cups carrots – chopped
• 1 medium onion – chopped
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil – chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme – chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound of a fish fillets – sliced into 1 inch pieces (grouper, red snapper, halibut, or cod will work)
• 1 ½ - 2 pounds littleneck clams - scrubbed

Directions

In a large 4 quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Then add tomatoes, clam juice, wine, basil, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and red pepper. Bring contents to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the fish fillets to the stew, cook for 5 minutes. Add the clams and over the pan. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the shells open. Remember to discard any clams that do not open. And remove the bay leaves before serving.