Succulent clams topped with crisp golden brown breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and herbs
This dish is commonly served as an appetizer, however, I believe that Clams Oreganata is so good it could also work as a main
Enhance surf and turf or simply serve alongside some garlicky pasta!
Either way, I guarantee they’re going to be delicious!
Okay, this is an important note – if you buy clams in their shell they are alive
Now you want them to stay that way until you cook to ensure that they are as fresh as possible
When you cook them, they will open up on their own If they don’t open, it means they have expired before you cooked them
So any clams that don’t open during the cooking process should be discarded
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to the recipe
We are using 2 dozen little neck clams, I like to start with a few more just in case I have a couple that I have to get rid of
Place the clams in water and swoosh them around, then thoroughly rinse them to remove all the sand and grit
There are many different ways to open clams but I feel this method starts adding flavor to the clams right off the bat
We will need 1 cup of a dry white wine (like a Chardonnay) and 1 cup of chicken or seafood stock
Click on our links to make your own stock
Add the wine and stock to a pan over medium heat and bring to a boil
Add the clams in
Cover the clams with a lid and watch over them very closely, a clear lid makes this easier
As soon as they start to open remove them from the pan
Now that all the clams are open we can move on
We are going to process these in steps
Separate the clam in half, remove the clam completely from its shell (I like to use a small spoon) and then place the clam back in the clean shell
The bottom shell usually has the muscles that hold the clam in place so we use the top shell for serving
Now that we went over the step by step, let’s process the rest of the clams
Line all the shells up on a sheet pan
Place a clam in each shell
Let’s work on the filling
We will need 1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumb), 1/4 cup of plain bread crumb, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes
I’m breaking a little culinary rule here
The rule goes like this, if there is seafood involved there shouldn’t be cheese
However as far as I’m concerned, if there is breadcrumb, then there has to be some grated Parmesan!
Add the panko, plain breadcrumb, Parmesan cheese and seasonings to a bowl
I urge you to add the salt in a bit at a time and taste the mixture to ensure you don’t over salt it
Remember clams spend their life in salt water, Parmesan cheese has its own salty flavor so we don’t want to much salt
Remove the oregano leaves, discard the stems and chop along with the parsley
Grate the garlic
Add the herbs and garlic to the dry ingredients and whisk together
Next, we need some wet ingredients to bind the mixture
We used 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 cup of chicken stock
Add the oil into the mixture and stir with a fork to combine
Add in the stock and stir to combine
Using a teaspoon add a scoop of filling to the clams
Lightly pack them down
Once all the shells are filled, you can always come back and add any leftover filling to top them off
Place the filled clams back on the sheet pan
Add about 1/4 cup of water to the sheet pan
This will steam up and help keep the clams moist while cooking (keep the water level below the clam mixture)
Place the clams under a broiler for 5-6 minutes or until they are lightly browned and crispy
Looking good!!!
Serve with some sliced lemon and dive in!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Clams Oreganata
Ingredients
2 dozen little neck clams (plus more if needed)
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup of dry white wine (like a Chardonnay)
1 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup of plain breadcrumb
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
1 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of chicken stock
Directions
Place 2 dozen little neck clams in water and swoosh them around, then thoroughly rinse them to remove any sand and grit. Add 1 cup of dry white wine and 1 cup of stock to a pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the clams to the pan and cover and watch constantly. As soon as they start to open, remove them to a bowl
Separate the top and bottom of the shells, remove the clam completely from its shell (I like to use a small spoon) and then place the clam back in one of the clean shells. Line these up on a sheet pan
In a large bowl combine 1 cup of Panko (Japanese bread crumb), 1/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Remove the leaves from 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano and discard the stems and chop along with 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley. Grate 3 garlic cloves
Add the herbs and garlic to the dry ingredients and whisk together. Add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Combine with a fork. Using a teaspoon add a scoop of filling to the clams. Lightly pack them down
Place the filled clams back on the sheet pan. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the sheet pan. This will steam up and help keep the clams moist while cooking (keep the water level below the clam mixture)
Place the clams under a broiler for 5-6 minutes or until they are lightly browned and crispy
Serve with lemon slices
Tools used to make this recipe
Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece
Architec Gripperwood Cutting Board
Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl, Clear
© Simply Sundays 2017
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