Garlic Pimento Butter Clam With Bacon Recipes

BAKED CLAMS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Heat a large skillet and add the clams. Add the white wine and cook the clams over high heat until they open. Remove the clams from the skillet as they open using a pair of kitchen tongs, and gather them in a large bowl. Allow clams to cool for a few minutes and then twist off the top shells, leaving the clam "meat" in the bottom shells. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Place the cut bacon in a skillet and cook until crispy. Drain on a paper towel and reserve the grease.
• Place the butter in the bowl of a food processor and add the scallions, garlic, lemon zest and half of the lemon juice. Pulse to blend. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved bacon grease and the breadcrumbs and stir to blend. Place the breadcrumb mixture on a baking sheet and cook in the oven until golden brown and bubbling, 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Remove the clams from the refrigerator and loosely mold some of the breadcrumb mixture into each shell so the clam body is somewhat covered. Arrange the clams in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Broil for 1 minute, watching constantly so they don't burn. Remove from the oven and squirt with the remaining lemon juice. Top each clam with the bacon and parsley and serve immediately.
• *Note: For safety reasons, discard any clams that are open before you cook them and any that are closed after you cook them.

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.

CLAMS WITH FRIED CILANTRO, GINGER, GARLIC AND BACON

Steps:

• Steam the clams with the water and butter in a covered pan for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep covered. On a medium flame fry the garlic, ginger, cilantro, shallots, and bacon separately in the safflower oil. They will lightly brown in seconds so stand ready with a slotted spoon. The ginger takes the longest, but that means 10 seconds. The bacon is done in literally a blink of an eye. When the cilantro leaves turn dark green; it's done. Drain each on a paper towel.
• Save the clam nectar to use later. Discard one shell from each clam. On a single platter or individual plates, place the clams on their half shells. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter the fried garlic, ginger, cilantro, shallots and bacon over the clams. Serve warm and eat by hand.