We have just returned from a wonderful vacation on the East Coast. Part of that time was spent in Duxbury, MA , most notable in our lives for being the birthplace of Lacey and Marco, our two corgis.
It is also the home of fabulous seafood.
When I inquired here in New mexico about steamers, the fish monger said that they were too fragile to ship. These soft-shelled clams are one food that has to be eaten in the place where it originates. So, I lost no time in finding a local seafood market and we marked our July 4th celebration with boiled lobsters and steamers. Cooking lobsters has been described elsewhere in this blog. Steamers have this post all to themselves.
Jasper White defines the cooking of New England and I turned to his Summer Shack Cookbook for a refresher on cooking these mollusks.
STEAMERS WITH DRAWN BUTTER
(serves 4 as an appetizer)
- 3 pounds medium steamers ( 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
- 2 cups water
- 1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced on a diagonal
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Fill two large pots with cold water. Gently place the clams in one pot, discarding any dead clams or clams with cracked shells. If a clam looks shriveled up, poke the siphon; if it doesn't retract into the shell, the clam is dead. Swish the clams gently in the water and let soak for a few minutes, then lift them out with wire-mesh skimmer and place them in the other pot of cold water. Rinse out the first pot and and fill it again. Swish the clams around again and let soak briefly, then transfer them to the clean pot. Swish and repeat with successive batches of clean water until the water is perfectly clear.
White says to to do this 4 or 5 times; I found that 9 times were required for the water to be completely clear. Drain the clams and set aside.
2. Set up your steamer pot. Add the water, celery, onion, and pepper, cover and turn the heat on high. When the pot has a full head of steam, ad the steamers and replace the lid. Steam for 4 minutes. Uncover the pot and stir once gently Cover and continue to seam until the clams are completely open and somewhat firm, 4 to 5 minutes for medium steamers.
3. Melt the butter to make drawn butter.
4 Remove the pot from the heat and gently transfer the steamers to a large bowl with a wire-mesh skimmer. Drain the broth through a fine strainer into four small bowls.
5. Serve the steamers withe bowls of broth, drawn butter and lemon wedges.
DRAWN BUTTER
- 2 tablespoons ( 1 ounce) unsalted butter per person
- Kosher or sea salt
Put the butter in a small pot and place over a medium heat. Stir the butter often as it melts. Before the melted butter comes to a boil, season to taste with salt. then keep stirring until it boils--it should be cloudy, almost emulsified. Divine among small bowls and serve at once.
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