Manila Clams On The Half Shell With Fennel Lemon And Chiles Food

STEAMED CLAMS WITH LEMONS AND CALABRIAN CHILES

Steps:

• Preheat the grill over medium-high heat.
• Add the butter, parsley sprigs, rosemary, thyme and chopped garlic to a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat and allow the butter to melt. Add the preserved lemon, Calabrian chiles and clams and stir to combine. Cover the clams with the wine, then bring to a simmer and allow the clams to open and the sauce to reduce, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the lemon halves and bread on the grill and allow to char all over, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove both from the grill. Rub each piece of bread with the whole clove of garlic and drizzle with the olive oil. Set aside until ready to serve.
• Remove the clams from the Dutch oven to a large serving bowl. Allow the sauce to reduce for another 2 minutes over high heat. Taste and adjust the sauce with salt, if needed. Add the charred lemon and bread to the serving bowl and pour over the reduced sauce, sprigs and all. Garnish with the chopped parsley.

MANILA CLAMS

Steps:

• In a large saute pan cook the garlic in the olive oil until golden brown. Do not burn. Add the clams to the hot oil. **Be careful not to burn yourself. Add the wine, red pepper, fennel seed, lemon zest and juice.
• Raise the heat to high and steam the clams for 6 to 8 minutes until all the clams are open. Arrange the clams in 6 bowls using a slotted spoon. Add the tomatoes and parsley to the boiling broth and cook for 1 minute. Ladle the broth over the clams and serve.

RAW CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL

Steps:

• Scrub the clams under cold water with a stiff brush to remove the dirt. Next, find a durable thick cloth and fold it over several times to create a square; this will steady the clams as you shuck them and also protect your hand. Using the towel as a mitt, hold the clam firmly in the palm of your towel-covered hand; have a small bowl handy to catch the delicious juice. Insert the tip of a clam or oyster knife between the shell halves, and work it around one side to the other as you pry it open. Using the knife, cut the muscles away from the top shell, bend the shell back, and discard it. Run the knife underneath the clam to detach it completely, but leave it in its shell (take care not to cut the meat itself.) Tip out the clam juice into the bowl and pour it back over the shucked clams. Nestle the clams in a bed of crushed ice or rock salt to keep them steady. Spoon the cucumber mignonette on top and serve as part of a raw shellfish bar.
• In a small bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, shallots, ginger, cucumber, black pepper, and cilantro; mixing with a fork. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to the day before you plan to serve, to allow the flavors to come together. Serve with raw oysters and clams.

MANILA CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL WITH FENNEL, LEMON, AND CHILES

Steps:

• Combine the fennel, lemon juice, oil, and chile in a small bowl and let marinate for 10 minutes or so while you shuck the clams.
• Shucking clams is a little different from shucking oysters. You can do it from the hinge with an oyster knife, or you can get a clam knife and go in from the lip side. If you're going to do it, ask your fishmonger, very sweetly, whether he or she will demonstrate the technique for you if you've never done it before. The clam knife has a thin blade and slides through the lip with the flat side, not the tip.
• Place the shucked clams on a large plate. Pile the fennel mixture high on each clam, spooning some of the liquid over the top of each one. Serve immediately.