Clam Dip For A Party Food

LINGUINI WITH CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the linguini and cook to an extra chewy al dente, 7 minutes or so. The linguini will continue to cook in sauce, later. To a large skillet heated over medium heat, add oil, anchovies, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes. Cook together until anchovies melt into oil and break up completely. Add wine to the pan and give the pan a shake. Add clams and their juice. Drain pasta and add it to the clam sauce. Toss and coat the pasta in sauce with clams until the pasta absorbs the flavor and juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, add parsley and serve.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Add the clam juice and vegetable stock to a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the clams and steam until fully opened, 5 to 8 minutes. Strain the steaming liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining sand and add the liquid from the canned clams; set aside. Remove the clams from the shells and chop roughly; reserve the clams separately.
• Return the cleaned pot to medium heat and add the butter, pancetta and bacon. Cook until the bacon and pancetta are crisp and the fat has fully rendered, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove about a quarter of the cooked bacon and pancetta to a plate lined with a paper towel; reserve for garnish.
• Add the celery, garlic, onion, seafood seasoning and celery salt to the pot; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, heavy cream and the reserved clam broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped canned clams, reserved cherrystones, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve hot in bowls and garnish with the dill, oyster crackers and reserved bacon and pancetta. Serve with more Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce alongside.

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more. Tie the parsley sprigs, fresh thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot with the potatoes. Pour in the clam juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and clams. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.
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LINGUINI WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan in a slow stream, red pepper flakes, garlic and anchovies and cook until anchovies melt into the oil. Add thyme and wine. Reduce wine 1 minute. Add clam juice or stock, clam juice will give the dish a stronger clam flavor, chicken stock will give it a buttery personality. Stir in clams and lemon zest. Drain pasta. Add to skillet and toss with sauce 2 to 3 minutes, until pasta is al dente and has absorbed some of the sauce and flavor. Add parsley, pepper and salt, to your taste and serve with bread for mopping up remaining juices.

BAKED CLAM "STUFFIES"

Steps:

• Steam clams: Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse clams in water to remove any sand or grit. (Alternatively, clams can be soaked in water up to 1 hour.) In a large Dutch oven over high heat, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add clams to the boiling water; cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until clams are open, 7-10 minutes, checking after 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
• Vegetables: Small-dice the onion. Remove and discard the seeds and white ribs from bell pepper, then small-dice. Trim away the top and bottom of the celery, then small-dice. Roughly mince the garlic. Set all the vegetables aside.
• After 5 minutes, check the clams; transfer the ones that have opened to a bowl. Continue steaming the remaining clams until they are all open, discarding the ones that are cracked or don't open; reserve the clam broth in the Dutch oven. Allow the clams and clam broth to cool.
• Stuffing: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. When foamy, add vegetables and sweat until soft, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, remove clams from their shells; set the shells aside. Optional: Cut the clams in half, then remove and discard any dark detritus in the bellies. Roughly chop the clams, then set aside.Separate the clam shells at their hinges; rinse and dry, then pick 12 of the nicest-looking half-shells and scrape off any muscle that remains attached. Set aside.
• When the vegetables are soft, add the chopped clams, chorizo, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until the chorizo fat begins to render, 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, place Ritz crackers in a plastic zip-top bag. Crush into a coarse meal using a rolling pin, and set aside. (Note: If using unseasoned breadcrumbs, add a pinch of dried parsley, dried thyme, and dried oregano, and mix to combine.)
• Set a coffee filter into a small bowl. Strain about 1 cup of the reserved clam broth through the filter to remove sand and impurities. Set aside the strained broth.To the clam mixture, add ½ cup breadcrumbs, the crushed crackers, and ½ cup strained broth. Stir to combine, adding more breadcrumbs as necessary for a moist, stuffing-like consistency. Turn off heat and let cool, 10 minutes.
• Bake: Place the 12 clean, dried shells on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Heap each shell with plenty of clam stuffing, lightly packing it so nothing spills out. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until Stuffies are heated through and begin to brown on top, 15-20 minutes.When Stuffies are lightly brown, turn on the broiler. Place the tray on the top rack, 6 inches from the heat source, and broil until brown and crusty on top, about 2 minutes. (Keep a close eye on the Stuffies so they don't burn!)
• Remove from oven and arrange shells on a serving platter. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges and hot sauce on the side.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• First, shuck the clams and remove the bellies. Clean the clams and then chop them into small pieces. Put to the side until ready to add to the pot.
• Heat the butter in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the celery and sweet onion and cook, mixing often, until they begin to soften. Next, sprinkle in the salt, black pepper and seafood boil seasoning. Add the self-rising flour to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the clams and clam juice.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon and finely chop. Add to the pot. Add the potatoes along with the scallions. Stir to combine. Lastly, add the milk and half-and-half. Stir to warm. Serve in a bowl with parsley as a garnish.

LINGUINE WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Soak the clams in cool water for about 30 minutes to expel the sand. Gently scrub the shells to remove any debris.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (it should taste like the sea) to a boil. Add the pasta to the water and cook until slightly less than al dente.
• In a large braiser or sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, anchovies and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the clams in a single layer, along with a sprinkle of the parsley and the wine. Cover the pan with a lid and steam, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams open up, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard any clams that remain closed. Transfer the clams to a bowl and set aside.
• Strain or transfer the pasta and add it directly to the pan with the clam sauce along with a drizzle of olive oil, tossing to combine. Let the pasta finish cooking with the sauce until the sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the remaining parsley to the pan and toss, then top with the clams and another drizzle of oil. Serve.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When almost smoking, add shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes or until most clams have opened.
• Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce slightly.
• Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water - this will remove the pasta's natural starches. Place pasta into the clam saute pan and mix thoroughly. Check seasoning.
• Pour pasta into large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the dish, being carefull not to zest the white part of the lemon, which is bitter. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.