Garlic and Chorizo Stuffed Clams

Back in February, Anders and I took our first long vacation together to Hawaii with his entire family. It was the perfect weather, the perfect week, and the perfect getaway. We decided to continue our jaunt for another week, so we took a road trip to Santa Barbara, all of the while, at the same time, COVID started ramping up and spreading throughout the world. While we were down south, we didn't hear much about it. We went wine tasting, went to the beach, and chilled HARD. 

Anders' parents fell in love in Santa Barbara, so it was a special place for us to visit. We took a trip to the iconic Brophy Bros and I had the pleasure of tasting a baked clam for the first time - incredible! I typically shy away from things that have a shell as a home, but these puppies were no joke. 

When we headed back home, it hit us like a ton of bricks - shelter in place, starting immediately. Fast forward 5 months, and we're doing everything we can to keep it all together. One thing that is helping me keep my sanity is the weekly trip to the market on Sundays. While I was at the San Francisco Heart of the City farmer's market this weekend, there was a new stall I noticed selling fresh fish and shellfish on ice. Anders asked for clams, so here we are! 

We found the original recipe on Food & Wine surprisingly, which can be found here.  The original recipe called for 24 Little Neck clams, which are the smallest size of the standard quahog clam.  I believe we ended up with 12 cherrystone clams, the next size up, which run about 2 1/2 inches to 4 inches long.  In addition, when purchasing your clams, make sure those sweet, succulent bivalves are alive with their shells tightly closed and free from any chips, breaks in the shell or other funkiness.  Cook those little marine gems the day you buy them, unwrap them right when you get home and store them in the fridge until you're ready to get COOKIN'.

Ingredients:

For the Clams:

1 cup dry white wine (no need to splurge, but never skimp, get something to sip while you stuff, absolutely no lame stuff)

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 thyme sprigs

12 cherrystone clams, scrubbed 

For the Filling:

4 oz chorizo, cooked (the original recipe called for bacon, we had some chicken chorizo lying around, but feel free to do your best Ornette Coleman impression and riff hard with whatever sausage or cured meat you have on hand.  It's Free Jazz, baby)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium shallot, very finely chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 additional shucked cherrystone clams, mantles discarded and clams finely chopped

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Topping:

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon very finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Clean the clams!   Tell Siri/Google Home/Alexa to start playing the soothing sounds of the Jerry Garcia Band's seminal 1978 album "Cats Under the Stars".  So you don't have to think about what to play after that, queue up Steely Dan's eternal 1980 joint "Gaucho".  Now let's get down  to business.  Soak your clams for 20 minutes in fresh water just before cooking. As the clams breathe they filter water. When the fresh water is filtered, the clam pushes salt water and sand out of their shells. After 20 minutes, the clams will have cleaned themselves of much of the salt and sand they have collected. Pull the clams out of the water. Sand has sunk to the bottom of the bowl; pouring the water into a strainer will pour it back over the clams.  Now give 'em a good old fashioned scrub down with a firm brush to clean off any excess sand, barnacles or other oceanic attachments.

2. Cook the clams! In a large saucepan (large enough to fit all the clams with space to give to allow them to open while they cook), combine the wine, garlic, shallot, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add all 14 clams, cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams open, about 5 minutes.  Guess what?  You've got nearly like three quarters of a bottle of (hopefully) sick, totally not lame white wine.  Pour yourself a glass. 

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the clams to a large baking sheet; discard the cooking liquid. Let the clams cool slightly, then split the shells in half and transfer the clam meat to a small bowl. Set aside two clams, chop them up for use later on in the filling. Clean 12 of the shell halves and arrange on a baking sheet; discard the remaining shells. 

3. Make the filling: In a large skillet, cook the chorizo over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and just crisp.  It took about 5 minutes for the chicken chorizo we had on hand but use your best judgement for whatever meat you choose to use.. Add the butter, garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook until reduced to a thin glaze, about 4 minutes. Stir in the additional two chopped and shucked clams, breadcrumbs, lemon juice and salt. Let cool slightly.  As it cools, I think it might be time for another glass of vino.  Or maybe a beer?  Who knows, the world is your oyster, time is a flat circle, but the Earth is definitely round.

4. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the parsley, lemon zest and cheese. Season lightly with salt.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put 1 clam in each half shell. Top the clams with the filling and topping. Bake for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and the tops are golden. Serve with lemon wedges and some ice cold wine (hopefully you planned ahead and bought another totally not lame bottle).