GRILLED LITTLENECK CLAMS
Instead of steaming the clams on a stovetop, doing so over a charcoal fire adds a nice whisper of smokiness. Plus it looks way cool.
RECIPE: Skillet-Grilled Littleneck Clams
Adapted by Bill St John from Jamie Purviance at weber.com. Per dozen clams, easily multiplied.
Ingredients
1 dozen littleneck clams
1/4 ciabatta, sliced longwise into thick “fingers”
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot
1 large garlic clove, slivered or minced
2-3 wedges lemon
1/3 cup dry white wine or “light” unsweetened apple juice
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Scrub the clams and rinse them in four rounds of cold water to remove any sand or grit. Prepare a grill with charcoal for direct-heat grilling over medium-high heat (450-500 degrees). When the coals are ready, grill the bread fingers quickly (30-40 seconds) so that they take up some char but do not burn. Set them aside.
Place a 10-12 inch cast-iron skillet (or other ovenproof skillet or wok) on the grill and to it add the olive oil and the butter. Immediately as the butter melts, add the shallot, stirring a bit. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the lemon wedges, squeezing each a bit when adding them. Add the wine or juice and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the clams and cook over direct heat, with the grill’s lid closed, until the clams open wide, anywhere from 8-15 minutes, depending on the clams, stirring every few minutes. (Discard and do not consume any unopened clams.)
Sprinkle on the parsley; season with freshly ground black pepper, if desired. Eat the clams from the skillet, sopping up the skillet juices with the toasted bread. Or serve the clams in their shells with the skillet juices in large deep bowls with the toasted bread to the side.
Wine Pairings and why: I’m pretty sure that, when we ask “Which will it be?” when choosing this or that bottle, we’re thinking how the wine will enhance the food. But the more important question first to ask is “What will this food do to alter any wine?” Elements in foods or cooking preparations change wine on the palate, not always for the better. For example, the prominent acidity in this dish (lemon juice, dry white wine or apple juices) will “flatten” or, in a worst case curtain off, the flavors and textures of many a wine, red or white—unless that wine has correlatively high acidity itself. With these clams, go for an accompanying Sauvignon Blanc, especially from the Loire, an Unoaked Chardonnay such as many a Mâcon Blanc, or a German or South American Pinot Noir.