How To Cook Clams Casino
- How Long To Cook Clams Casino
- How To Make Clams Casino On The Grill
- The Best 5 Ingredient Clams Casino
- How To Cook Clams In White Wine
- How To Cook Clam Boil
This dish was created for SABER Grills by Colleen Kennedy of Souffle Bombay. Bon appétit!
Pour a single layer of clams into the bottom of the saucepan and stir until the clams are coated with the garlic butter. You will need to cook the clams in batches. Do not stack the clams on top of each other in the pan since doing so will make it difficult for any clams on the bottom layer to open. Place clams, bay leaves and water in a large pot; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook the clams until they open, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain in a colander. (Discard any clams that do not open.) Discard the bay leaves.
One of the dishes I’m known for is Clams Casino. I make them a few times a year and, as I serve them, people stand right at the tray until they’re completely g-o-n-e! There are never leftovers.
I was saying to my husband and sister just the other day that I think some people feel Clams Casino are dated… like it’s some 70s dish. But not me! And certainly not my husband. For 20 years, we’ve looked for them on menus, excited to try an order. All too often, however, we’re disappointed. The few times we hit gold, we ordered a second and even a third round.
A few years ago I discovered that when I use my grill to open clams I have an almost 100 percent success rate. Really! They all open, every time, except maybe one stubborn one. I don’t know if I’ve just been lucky with the quality of clams I’ve gotten my hands on or if it’s the grill… My money is on the grill!
Clams on the grill are great—no mess, no smell. I will never go back to another method! I was curious to know, however, how the grill would finish off my signature Clams Casino. Verdict: Perfection!
Step One: Make my Casino “Butter.”
Step Two: Open the clams.
Step Three: Prep the clams and fill them with the stuffing.
How Long To Cook Clams Casino
Step Four: Get the clams back on the grill to finish them off.
Step Five: Get your hands on as many of them as you can before they disappear!
I so hope you love these as much as we do! If the weather isn’t cooperating, you can also make these in your oven. But I really do swear by opening clams on a hot grill… It’s worth getting wet or cold for!
A big part of the attraction when it comes to these Grilled Clams Casino is the bacon. Whoever coined the phrase “bacon makes everything better” really knew what they were talking about!
You can add more peppers if you’d like, you could even replace the red peppers with jalapeños if you like things spicy.
Notes: You can make the Casino Butter in advance and chill overnight in the fridge or freeze for a month or more. You can also stuff your clams as directed and freeze them on a tray. Once frozen, bag them and keep frozen until ready to use. Simply allow them to thaw for 15 minutes or so before cooking. If you have extra Casino Butter left over, it’s great over pasta!
How To Make Clams Casino On The Grill
If you want a really crunchy top to the clams, sprinkle them with additional Panko before cooking and cook in the oven, finishing under the broiler.
The Best 5 Ingredient Clams Casino
Ingredients
- 24 Little Neck or Cherry Stone clams
- 12 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons red or green pepper, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons Vidalia onion, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons white wine
- 10 slices bacon, cooked and crisp
- 1/2 cup Panko
How To Cook Clams In White Wine
Directions
- Make your Casino Butter by combining the butter, pepper, onion, wine, bacon and Panko. Season with a little black pepper and combine until fully incorporated. Cover and place in the fridge to chill.
- Gently rinse and scrub your clams with a soft brush or hands under cold water to get any sand or debris off of them.
- Preheat grill to high heat. Once hot, place your clams directly onto the grill and close it.
- After about 5 minutes, check the clams. They should be popping open. As they open, remove them one by one to a tray. (Cook time will vary by size of clam). If all clams are not opened, after you remove the ones that are, shut the grill and wait another 1-2 minutes.
- Once clams have cooled, separate the top shell from each. Rinse it off and dry it. Detach the clam meat from the bottom shell and place it into one of the top shells. Discard the bottom shell.
- Mound Casino Butter atop each clam half.
- Make sure grill is still hot then gently add clams by placing face up in between the grates. Cook for 6 minutes or until beginning to crisp. Serve immediately.
Recipes
Dish Type
Food Type
This clams casino is layered with flavors, but easy to prepare. [Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
Clams casino should be a great dish—what could be bad about clams, bacon, butter, and bread crumbs? But all too often, it’s executed all wrong. Not this time. Meet the make-ahead, no-shuck, easy-as-pie clams casino recipe that just happens to taste better than most others out there.
Why It Works
- Toasting panko bread crumbs in rendered bacon fat makes a crispy topping that’s also a vehicle for flavor.
- Cooking the clams first allows us to collect all their juices, then reduce them down with shallots, garlic, more bacon, and white wine. The eventual result: bacon-clam compound butter.
- Pre-cooking the clams, then packing them back into their shells with the compound butter, means that this recipe, unlike most others, can be made well ahead of time and finished in the oven right before serving.
Ingredients
- For the Bacon Bread Crumbs:
- 6 ounces bacon, finely diced
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Clams:
- 2 ounces bacon, finely diced
- 3 large shallots, minced (about 1 cup)
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 24 littleneck clams, purged and scrubbed (see note)
- 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley, divided
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges, for serving
How To Cook Clam Boil
Directions
- 1.
For the Bacon Bread Crumbs: In a large skillet, cook 6 ounces diced bacon over medium-high heat, stirring, until fat has rendered and bacon is browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Lower heat if skillet gets too hot and begins to smoke.
- 2.
Stir in bread crumbs to evenly coat in bacon fat and cook, stirring and tossing, until bread crumbs are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Season very lightly with salt and pepper.
- 3.
For the Clams: In a large sauté pan, cook 2 ounces diced bacon over medium-high heat until fat has rendered and bacon is lightly browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Stir in shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until shallots have softened, about 4 minutes.
- 4.
Add white wine and clams, cover, and cook, checking occasionally, until the clams begin to open. Using tongs, transfer opened clams to a large bowl to cool, continuing to cover sauté pan and checking frequently for newly opened clams. Continue until last clams have opened. (Some may open only a crack; this is fine, just pry the shell fully open.)
- 5.
Uncover sauté pan and cook, stirring, until wine and clam liquid have evaporated and the shallot-bacon mixture has become jammy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- 6.
In a medium bowl, stir shallot-bacon mixture and 1/4 cup parsley into softened butter until thoroughly incorporated. Season lightly with salt and pepper. (Clams can be salty, so be careful not to over-season.)
- 7.
Working one at a time, pry off top shell of each clam and discard, making sure no shell fragments from hinge fall into clam. Free each clam from bottom shell, then set back in bottom shell and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
- 8.
Using a butter knife, pack clam butter all around and over each clam, sealing each into the bottom shell. Sprinkle a small amount of bacon bread crumbs on top of each clam, pressing lightly to adhere. At this point, you can cover the baking sheet with plastic and refrigerate clams for up to 1 day before cooking. (You will have clam butter left over; keep it refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 1 week. It’s delicious tossed with spaghetti for an easy weeknight meal.)
- 9.
When ready to serve, place clams in a 450°F oven and cook until butter is melted and clams are fully heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir remaining 1/4 cup parsley into bread crumbs, then sprinkle a generous amount on top of each clam. Return to oven for 1 minute to warm bread crumbs, then serve right away with lemon wedges.
Special Equipment
Rimmed baking sheet
Notes
To purge clams, submerge them in a large container of salted cold water and let stand for 30 minutes. Lift out clams. If there is no sand in the bottom of the container, they’re ready to scrub and use. If there is sand, drain and rinse the container, fill with fresh salted water, and return clams for 30 more minutes. Continue this process until the water is clear and free of sand.
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