Baked Clams With Pine Nuts And Basil Recipes

BAKED CLAMS WITH PINE NUTS AND BASIL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place pine nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden, about 7 minutes. Shake the pan often while baking to make sure the nuts toast evenly. Let cool; finely chop.
• Wash and dry 6 quahog shells; set aside.
• Coarsely chop clams; in a large bowl, toss clams with pine nuts, garlic, 1 tablespoon softened butter, basil, lemon juice, vermouth, salt, and pepper; add 1 to 2 tablespoons clam liquid. In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
• Divide clam mixture among reserved shells on a baking sheet; sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

BAKED CLAMS WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook the clams: Heat a large skillet over high heat. Rinse the clams one final time to make sure they are free of any grit. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet, add the clams and vermouth and cook, shaking the skillet slightly, until the clams open. Remove and cool. Reserve any cooking liquid.
• Make the breadcrumb mix: Place the remaining 10 tablespoons butter in the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, scallions and lemon zest and juice and pulse to blend. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the breadcrumbs.
• Prepare and bake the clams: Detach each clam from its shell and put the meat back in the shell. Mix the reserved cooking liquid from the clams (if any) with the cream. Pour a touch of the cream mixture on top of each clam and immediately mold some of the breadcrumb mixture into each of the shells so the clam body is covered. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until hot, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and preheat the broiler.
• Broil the clams for 1 minute, watching them constantly so they don't burn. Remove them from the oven. Squirt with lemon juice. Top each clam with some parsley. Serve immediately.

GRILLED CLAMS WITH BASIL BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• Heat a gas grill or prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals.
• Combine the bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, salt and pepper in a large serving bowl and set aside.
• When the grill is hot, place the clams in 1 layer on the hot grate and allow the heat to open the clams. They'll open gradually for about 5 minutes, then pop-open wide when they're done. Using tongs, remove the clams from the grill and place them in the bowl with the bread crumb mixture and toss together. Drizzle with the melted butter, and serve hot.

MUSSELS AND BASIL BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• Combine the toasted bread cubes, garlic, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and the lemon juice in a food processor and pulse a few times to make coarse crumbs. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and pulse to combine. Add the pine nuts and pulse a few times to combine but not to chop the nuts. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the wine in a heavy-bottomed pot, such as Le Creuset, and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Add the basil bread crumbs and toss gently. Serve hot in shallow bowls with any pan juices.

SALMON WITH A PINE NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (170C).
• Spread the breadcrumbs and pine nuts in a baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. (Chopped almonds may be used in place of the pine nuts.).
• Wash the salmon fillets.
• Pat dry, and brush with the Dijon mustard.
• Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the salmon steaks, pressing to adhere to the fish.
• Heat the oil, butter and shallot in oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add salmon, crumb-side down and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Turn fish over.
• Transfer skillet to oven.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until cooked.
• For the sauce: Reduce the lemon juice in a saucepan to 1 teaspoon.
• Add the heavy cream and boil until slightly thickened.
• Whisk in the butter until smooth. Add the fresh dill.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

PINE NUT AND BASIL GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• In a bowl, mash avocados until almost smooth. Stir in lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Adjust seasoning with additional lime juice and salt if desired. Top with fresh basil and pine nuts.

BAKED CLAMS

Steps:

• Combine the garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to combine.
• Coarsely chop the clams and combine with the lemon juice in a separate bowl.
• Place the clam shells on a baking sheet, using a thin bed of rock salt to stabilize them if desired, and divide chopped clams between them.
• Top with the bread crumb mixture and drizzle with the butter.
• Cook under a preheated broiler until the topping is golden brown and the clams are bubbling, about 2 minutes.
• Garnish with lemon wedges.