December 29, 2014 Steamed Little Neck Clams with baguette

December 29, 2014 Steamed Little Neck Clams with baguette

Suzette is driving to Santa Rosa tomorrow so she stopped to shop at Costco tonight on her way home.  

She saw several fresh seafood options and she picked up a whole head off Atlantic farm raised salmon for $4.99/lb. and a bag of little neck clams.  

For some reason little neck clams are starting to regularly show up in our stores at remarkably cheap prices and they are fresh and delicious.  These little necks were smaller than the ones I had earlier bought at Sprouts Farm Market.  We found these to be a perfect eating size; larger than a manila clam and smaller, and more tender, than a cherrystone clam or the larger little neck clams I bought recently at Sprouts Farm Market.  The only clams that are comparable are the Australian cockles and they tend to be more expensive.   

We decided to divide them into two casseroles and steam all of the clams in one step, so we could eat them together.  We filled each of the large Le Creuset casseroles about ¼ full of water (enough water to cover the clams with boiling water) and when the water came to a boil we placed ½ of the clams into each casserole.  After discarding the clams that were dead and had broken shells, all the clams opened except for six in each casserole, which is a rather high rejection rate, but we still had about three dozen clams each.  

I chilled a bottle of 2012 Chateau du Jaunay Muscadet Sévre et Maine Sur Lie (Sur Lie means that the juice is left in contact with the skins after the grapes are crushed, in order to build up a little more flavor because Muscadet grapes tend to produce a lightly flavored wine) from the Loire Valley (Total Wine, $11.99 less 10% discount) which had a mildly buttery and citrus flavor.  This is the first chateau produced French Muscadet wine I have bought in Albuquerque and I found the finish to be a little bitter.  I probably will not buy it again.

Suzette actually drank my glass of wine, because I prefer to drink the broth from the steamed clams with my clams.  When the clams are finished opening i simply ladle spoonfuls of clam juice into a mug and sip it as I eat the clams and dip the bread into the broth and butter sauce.

This is a very simple dish.  You place the clams in boiling water in a large pot until they open.  When the open they release their seafood flavor into the water, creating a lovely clam flavored broth.  We melted a stick of butter in the micro wave with chopped fresh thyme and garlic chives.  When the butter and garlic and thyme solution was heated to nearly a boil, we added a few drops of fresh lemon juice to the butter and serve with the clams.  We plated the clams in bowls and simply removed them from their shells, dipped them into the butter sauce and ate them with bites of warmed French baguette (Fanos' $3.00).  I drank broth with my clams to intensify the clam experience.

A simple and delicious meal, if a bit primordial.  I think I read that clam shells have been found in seaside cave middens dating back over one hundred thousand years in South Africa.  

Bon Appétit