.. clams!! ..

Steamed clams in white wine with crusty garlic bread...This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy clams, or even mussels, or other shellfish. Simply cooked with lots of aromatics and super fresh, so that you can taste the clean, brininess of the ocean. Yum!!

Make sure to spend a good amount of time cleaning these little guys. They're quite sandy and gritty, especially at the seams. I scrubbed each one individually, and let them soak in numerous cold water baths, before cooking. Also, remember to throw out any clams that don't close with some encouragement (i.e., light tapping).

On this occasion, I added sweet onions, garlic, leeks, thai basil, tarragon, lemon grass, flat-leaf parsley, and lemon juice (threw the lemon halves in there as well). I know that's a lot of ingredients, but it all worked perfectly! You can make it different each time, and add endless variations of herbs and spices.

The clams steamed in it's own juices and some dry white wine (cover with a lid to help the cooking process along). If the broth is a bit too acidic, you can certainly add a dab of honey to sweeten things up, but the fresh clams are sweet naturally, so make sure to taste. Also, be careful with the salt, since shellfish is salty on it's own already. I added tons of freshly cracked black pepper, because I like that extra kick!

Served with crusty garlic parmigiano reggiano bread. This is the best for sopping up all that great broth.

This is a super easy dish, and a nice option for casual dinner parties. Enjoy!