NOVEMBER 10 2011
Well, now I know. Clams are a pain in the ass to shuck! I consider myself a pretty darn good oyster shucker, so thought these little guys would be a cinch. But that was not the case. The shells don't have much strength so start crumbling as soon as any force is applied. Then, once I got the thing open, I basically mutilated the clam itself trying to unattach it from the other side. I still feel pretty bad about my total butchery. Luckily, they will be covered up with seasoned breadcrumbs so no one will know (except all of you because there is photo evidence).
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| come on, mother shucker! |
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| lookin' a little rough :( |
Oh well... moving on. I thought I had panko, but alas, I don't. So I improvise by toasting then processing some pita bread. The crumbs are combined with olive oil, parsley, oregano, garlic and pecorino romano until it has "a texture like wet sand and an aroma like bottled Italian salad dressing".
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| stuffed and ready for the oven |
Then each massacred little clam is topped with 2 scant teaspoons of the mix and they are popped under the broiler for 6 minutes, until sizzling. A squeeze of lemon and it's time to eat!
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| baked clam |
These guys are pretty darn good. I must say the breadcrumb topping is a little thick... kinda drowns out the meat. But the flavors all marry quite well. I do think my choice of breadcrumb made the topping too dense so I am thinking I might try it again with panko and a lighter touch (plus steaming the damn things open instead of shucking). But for now, we are all quite happy and they quickly disappear.
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| all gone :) |
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