Clams Oreganata

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

Homemade Chicken Stock

Seafood 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!!!

Tools used to make this recipe

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

Architec Gripperwood Cutting Board

ZYLISS Quik Blend Whisk

Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl, Clear

Lodge Cast Iron Pan

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