Good Fish_ Sustainable Seafood Recipes From the Pacific Coast - Becky Selengut [13]
Pour the clams and vegetables, along with the “pot liquor,” into a big serving bowl. Scoop the thick “cream” from the top of the coconut milk into a bowl, and mix well, reserving the rest of the milk for another use. Drizzle the coconut cream over the top of the clams and garnish with the basil. Instruct your guests to chew on—but not eat—the flavorful lemongrass pieces.
PAIRING: An Alsatian riesling, such as Lucien Albrecht Clos Himmelreich 2008, or an Alsatian gewürztraminer.
tomato-bacon clams with croutons
For the croutons:
2 cups baguette or ciabatta-
style bread, cut into medium
cubes
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the clams:
¼ cup shallots or green onions,
cut into small dice or sliced
4 strips bacon, cut into small
dice (to make ½ cup)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive
oil, plus additional for
drizzling
2 plum tomatoes, cut into
medium dice
½ bunch fresh Italian parsley,
leaves chopped (about ½
cup), stems finely chopped
and kept separate
¼ cup dry white vermouth or
dry white wine
Zest of 1 lemon (about 2
teaspoons)
2 pounds clams, scrubbed
One of the most functional aspects of clams (and mussels and oysters, for that matter) is the convenient shell that creates the perfect basin to collect and then distribute sauce efficiently to your mouth. In this dish, each shell supports its own microcosm of tomatoes, bacon, and lemon zest. That’s not even the best part, which I’ve saved for last. The best part is the crunchy croutons that soften a bit with tomato juice, bacon fat, extra-virgin olive oil, and clam juice.
SERVES 4
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
To prepare the croutons, mix the bread cubes with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the bread cubes on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes, or until they are lightly crispy in parts. Set aside.
To prepare the clams, in a sauté pan over medium heat, cook the shallots and bacon in the 1 teaspoon olive oil until the bacon fat is rendered and the shallots are very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley stems, vermouth, lemon zest, and clams, and cook, covered, over medium heat until the clams open, 3 to 5 minutes. (Any clams that do not open can be pried open using an oyster shucker or discarded.) Add the parsley leaves.
To serve, place ½ cup of croutons in each of 4 bowls, then top with equal portions of the clams (making sure that everyone gets enough of the tomato and bacon goodness) and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
PAIRING: A rosé from Provence or Tavel, in the southern Rhône region of France, such as Delas Frères Tavel La Comballe 2008, or a dry rosé from any other region.
geoduck crudo with shiso oil
½ pound geoduck siphon meat,
well cleaned‡
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon seasoned rice
wine vinegar
6 fresh shiso leaves
Freshly ground pink
peppercorns
Gray sea salt
Random geoduck factoid: The oldest geoduck lived for 164 years. Let’s take a moment to appreciate that. Somehow, this rather vulnerable clam, with the majority of its body outside of its protective shell, eluded predators and survived for a century and a half buried deep in the soft sand. Pretty incredible. Not-so-random geoduck factoid: No one—and I mean absolutely no one—can hold a geoduck and resist giggling.
SERVES 4 AS AN APPETIZER
Slice the geoduck paper thin with a very sharp knife and keep it cold in the refrigerator while you prepare the garnishes.
Combine the olive oil and rice wine vinegar with the shiso in a blender or food processor, and blend into a smooth, light green emulsion. Transfer the shiso oil to a squeeze bottle or a small jar with a narrow opening (you will have some left over: refrigerate it and use it on salads).
Place the geoduck slices decoratively on a platter, each slice slightly overlapping the