Clams Casino In Oven
Make-ahead clams casino: The clams can be thawed and topped ahead of time, refrigerated, and broiled when guests arrive. Using smaller clams: You can use cherry stone or little neck clams instead of top necks, just use twice as many, skip cutting the clam in half, and discard half the shells. Best Pizza’s own Frank Pinello shows us how to make one of his favorite dishes in the Munchies Test Kitchen. He shares the secret of how to cook clams so the. To make Clams Casino: Wash and open little neck clams being careful to retain as much of the juices as you can. This is accomplished by not tipping the clams. Stuff the clams with casino topping and place a small square of raw bacon on top. Broil in a 375° F oven until the crumbs are brown and the bacon is crispy. Serve with cocktail sauce. Step 5: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the clams until the bacon pieces and crumb mixture are sizzling and browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve the Chappaquiddick Clams Casino at once with sarsaparilla or dry white wine.
According to Linda Beaulieu, author of The Providence and Rhode Island Cookbook, Clams Casino originated with “Julius Keller, maitre d’ in the original casino next to the seaside Towers in Narragansett.” As with many classic dishes, there are numerous versions. This one uses quahogs, but you could use cherrystones if you prefer, doubling the number.
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 6 quahogs
- 15 ml* (1 tablespoon) butter
- 45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil
- 177 ml (¾ cup) finely chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 118 ml (½ cup) finely chopped green peppers
- 237 ml (1 cup) Italian-style dried bread crumbs
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) chopped fresh oregano
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) red pepper flakes
- 118 ml (½ cup) grated Parmesan cheese
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Lemon wedges, for serving
*Metric conversions by The Cook’s Cook
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 232°C (450˚F).
2. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, draining it on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces and reserve.
3. Wash the clams. Place them in a baking dish with 118 ml (½ cup) water. Bake until the clams open — about 15 minutes, depending on size. Discard any that do not open. When they are cool enough to handle, separate the shells and remove the meat, reserving the shells. Chop the clam meat coarsely and set aside. Reduce the oven heat to 204°C (400˚F).
4. Add the butter and 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of the oil to the skillet, and sauté the onion, garlic, and peppers until soft.
5. Add the bread crumbs, reserved bacon, oregano, red pepper flakes, cheese, sautéed vegetables, and chopped clams. Mix well. Fill the clamshells with this mixture and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake at 204°C (400˚F) until browned; about 5 minutes.
Appetizers
Steven Raichlen“The Hermit chopped some ramps and venison bacon and poured a little oil into a cast iron skillet. The scent of sizzling wild garlic filled the kitchen. While the ramps and bacon browned, he took a stale loaf of bread and grated it on an old-fashioned box grater. He added the crumbs and some crumbled dried herbs and browned them with the ramps and bacon … Next, the Hermit produced a wire basket filled with seaweed and Cape Pogue Bay littlenecks … He handed Claire a bowl and an old butter knife. He showed her how to tuck a littleneck into her palm, hinge towards the base of her thumb, then gently pull the blade between the shells with her fingers. She worked over the bowl to catch the juices, and after a few tries, got the hang of it… The shucked clams went on a shallow bed of salt in a large battered metal pie pan. The Hermit had Claire spoon some crumb mixture in each clamshell and place a curl of venison bacon on top. He placed the clams in the oven just long enough to brown the topping. Soon Claire was eating the Chappaquiddick version of clams casino, washed down with a fresh bottle of sarsaparilla.”
–From Chapter 16, “Not What I Expected” in Steven Raichlen’s novel The Hermit of Chappaquiddick
Recipes from The Hermit of Chappaquiddick
Clams Casino from The Hermit Of Chappaquiddick
Recipe Notes
- Yield: Makes 24 clams, enough to serve 4 to 6 as an appetizer or 2 as a light main course
Ingredients
- 6 strips smokehouse bacon
- 4 ramps or large scallions
- 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 cups toasted bread crumbs (preferably homemade)
- 24 fresh littleneck clams
- Coarse salt for baking the clams
Recipe Steps
Make the stuffing: Cut 3 strips of bacon crosswise into thin slivers. Cut each of the remaining 3 strips of bacon crosswise into 8 pieces and set aside. Trim the ramps by cutting off the furry roots and dark green leaves. Finely chop. If using scallions, trim off the root end and thinly slice crosswise. Mince the garlic if using.
Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the slivered bacon, ramps (or scallions and garlic), oregano, basil, lemon zest, and plenty of black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture is browned, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir in the bread crumbs and cook until lightly browned, 2 minutes more. Set the stuffing aside.
Clams Casino Recipe - Allrecipes.com
Step 3: Scrub the clams, discarding any with gapped shells that fail to close when tapped. Shuck the clams, working over a bowl catch the juices. Discard the top shells and loosen the clams from the bottom shell with your shucking knife. Arrange the clams on the half shell in pie pans or a baking sheet filled with a 1/4-inch layer of coarse salt (this holds the clam shells upright).
Step 4: Strain the clam juices into the stuffing mixture and stir to mix. Spoon the stuffing into the shells over the clam meat. Top each with a piece of bacon. The clams can be prepared several hours ahead to this stage, covered and refrigerated.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the clams until the bacon pieces and crumb mixture are sizzling and browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve the Chappaquiddick Clams Casino at once with sarsaparilla or dry white wine.
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Recipe Tips
Ramps are a member of the allium family—a sort of wild green onion with a white bulbous base tapering to spindly green leaves. The flavor suggests garlic, green onion, and leek. In season in the spring, ramps are available at specialty grocers and via mail order (one good sources is www.earthy.com). If unavailable, you can approximate the flavor by combining scallions and garlic. The Hermit uses homemade venison bacon; you’ll get great results with a true smokehouse bacon like Nueske’s.
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The Hermit of Chappaquiddick
From New York Times bestselling author Steven Raichlen comes a surprising story of love, loss, redemption, and, of course, really good food.
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