Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [41]
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1½ tablespoons chopped parsley
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Choose a number of bake-and-serve dishes that will accommodate all the oysters in their half shells without overlapping. Spread the rock salt or pebbles on the bottom of the dishes; their purpose is both to keep the oysters from tipping and losing their juices and to retain heat after they are removed from the oven.
3. Put the oysters in their half shells side by side in the rock salt or pebbles. Top each oyster with a sprinkling of bread crumbs, some ground pepper, a little parsley, and a few drops of olive oil.
4. Place the baking dishes in the uppermost level of the preheated oven. Bake for 3 minutes. Before serving, moisten each oyster with a few drops of lemon juice.
Grilled Mussels and Clams on the Half Shell
For 4 to 6 servings
2 dozen littleneck clams, as small as possible
2 dozen mussels
3 tablespoons parsley chopped fine
½ teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
4 ripe, fresh plum tomatoes Lemon wedges
1. Soak the clams for 5 minutes in a basin or sink filled with cold water. Drain and refill the basin with fresh cold water, leaving in the clams. Vigorously scrub the clams one by one with a very stiff brush. Drain, refill the basin, and repeat the whole scrubbing operation. Do this 2 or 3 more times, always in fresh changes of water, until you see no more sand settling to the bottom of the basin. Discard any that, when handled, don’t clamp shut.
2. Soak and scrub the mussels in cold water, following the procedure outlined above for the clams. In addition, pull away or cut off each mussel’s protruding tuft of fibers. Discard any that, when handled, don’t clamp shut.
3. Put the mussels and clams in separate pots, cover, and turn on the heat to high. As soon as they unclench their shells, remove them from the pot. Some shells will open up sooner than others, and the mussels will open up before the clams, so take care that each clam and mussel is removed from the pot as it opens up, otherwise it will become tough. Eventually every shell that contains a live mollusk will open. Those that never open are probably full of mud and should be discarded. Do not discard the clam juices in the pot just yet.
4. Detach the clam and mussel meat from the shells, setting aside half the clam shells and half the mussel shells and discarding the rest.
5. Rinse the clams one by one, swishing them around gently in their own juices still in the pan, to remove any remaining trace of sand.
6. Preheat the broiler.
7. Put the parsley, garlic, olive oil, and bread crumbs in a mixing bowl. Add the clam and mussel meat, mixing them with the ingredients until well coated. Let stand and marinate about 20 minutes.
8. Skin the tomatoes, using a potato peeler with a swiveling blade. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove all the seeds, picking them out with the point of a paring knife. Do not squeeze the tomatoes. Cut each one into 6 thin strips.
9. Wash the clam and mussel shells you set aside. In each shell place one of its respective mollusks. Distribute the marinade left over in the mixing bowl among all the clams and mussels. Top each clam with a strip of tomato. Place on the broiler pan and run under the hot broiler just long enough for a thin crust to form. Serve hot accompanied by lemon wedges.
Sautéed Scallops with Garlic and Parsley
THE SUCCESS of this very tasty seafood appetizer rests on two recommendations: Buy the most tender, smallest scallops you can find and do not overcook them. Canestrei, as they are called in Venice, are no bigger than the nail on one’s pinky. They are both tender and savory. If the small, sweet bay scallops are in season and available to you, those are the ones you should get. Deep-sea scallops are large, chewier, and less sweet, but they are a perfectly acceptable substitute if fresh.
For 4 servings
½ pound fresh bay scallops,