Mussels And Clams

A Plate of Mussels, Photographic Print
Yadid Levy
30 in. x 40 in.
For More Information or Buy at AllPosters.com

Ingredients

* 1 cup water
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 1 lemon, sliced
* 4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
* 1/3 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
* 1 tablespoon minced celery
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* Garnish: lemon slices

Preparation

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil; add mussels. Cover and cook 5 minutes; stir gently, and cook 5 more minutes or until mussels open. Remove from heat; drain and let cool. Discard any mussels that remain closed. Detach mussels from shells, reserving shells.

Combine mayonnaise and next 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Place each mussel in a shell; spoon 1 teaspoon Salsa Verde over each mussel. Place mussels on a platter, and garnish, if desired.

Ingredients:

* 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 large yellow onion, diced
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 2 cups water
* 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* ground black pepper, to taste
* 2 cups half-and-half
* 2 cups canned minced clams, drained, juice reserved

Preparation:

1. In large saucepan, over medium-high heat cook the bacon until almost crisp. Reduce the heat to low, add 1 tablespoon of the butter, the onions, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to brown the onions. Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes.

2. Whisk in water and reserved clam juice, and once combined add the potatoes. Season with the salt and pepper, increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered until potatoes are tender.

3. Reduce heat to very low, pour in half-and-half, add the rest of the butter, and clams, and cook until heated through. Do not boil! Turn off heat, adjust seasoning, and serve hot.

A large collapsible metal vegetable steamer set inside a Dutch oven works best for this recipe, as that setup can accommodate a large volume of shellfish. Littleneck clams are more tender and succulent than larger varieties. The steaming liquid is discarded, so it adds fragrance but no sodium. You can serve just one of the sauces, but we enjoy the variety of two. For the cocktail sauce, use the chili sauce sold alongside ketchup at the grocery store, not fiery Asian chili/chile sauce.

Cocktail sauce:

* 1/4 cup bottled chili sauce
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
* 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

Chive butter:

* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Shellfish:

* 2 cups white wine
* 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
* 24 littleneck clams
* 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Preparation

1. To prepare cocktail sauce, combine chili sauce, juice, dill, and horseradish in a small bowl.
2. To prepare chive butter, combine butter and chives in a small bowl; cover and keep warm.
3. To prepare shellfish, place wine and Old Bay in a large Dutch oven; set a large vegetable steamer in pan. Bring wine mixture to a boil over high heat.
4. Add clams to steamer. Steam clams, covered, for 8 minutes. Add mussels to steamer. Steam mussels and clams, covered, for 8 minutes or until clam and mussel shells open. Discard any unopened shells, and discard wine mixture. Serve shellfish immediately with sauces.

Ingredients

* 3 pounds Manila or littleneck clams
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 ounces prosciutto, diced
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 2 strips lemon rind
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
* Garnishes: lemon wedges, fresh herbs

Preparation

Scrub clams well with a brush; discard opened or cracked clams or any heavy ones (indicating they're filled with sand).

Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add prosciutto; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until browned. Add garlic and red pepper; cook 2 minutes. Add wine, lemon rind, and thyme; bring to a boil. Add clams; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 6 minutes or until clams open. Spoon into individual bowls. Sprinkle with parsley. Garnish, if desired.

Ingredients

* 5 pounds clams in shell, scrubbed
* 1 1/2 pounds chorizo, sliced into chunks
* 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 2 cups white wine
* 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Wash clams well in a sink of cold water. Discard any clams that are already opened.
2. In a large stock pot with a tight fitting lid, place the cleaned clams. Add the sausage, onion, tomatoes and wine. Cover and set over high heat. Steam until all the clams open up. Be sure to shake the pan often to insure even heat.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the cooked clams. Evenly divide all the ingredients into warm soup plates. Divide the broth into side cups for dipping.

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 shallots, finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 bulb fennel - trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
* 1 large tomato, cubed
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1/4 cup ouzo
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
* 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
* salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in shallots and garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in fennel and tomato, and continue cooking about 5 minutes.
2. Mix white wine, ouzo, and heavy cream into the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Gradually stir in mussels, 1/2 the basil, and salt.
3. Cover saucepan, and continue cooking about 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Garnish with remaining basil to serve.