Cooking little neck clams is a fun way to bring the taste of the ocean to your kitchen. These small clams have a tasty, salty flavor that seafood fans love. You can make simple dishes with them or try more complicated recipes. Cooking little neck clams is easy, so anyone can do it.
The key to making them taste great is cleaning and cooking them correctly. In this guide, we’ll show you how to steam, grill, or add little neck clams to pasta or soup. With these tips, you’ll be able to make yummy clam dishes that everyone will enjoy.
How To Cook Little Neck Clams?
Small little neck clams have lots of good stuff in them and taste yummy when cooked with garlic and white wine. They only take a few minutes to cook and can be eaten alone or with pasta like spaghetti or linguine.
Cooking little neck clams is easy and makes them taste even better. Here’s a simple guide to help you prepare and cook these tasty clams.
Ingredients
- 3 dozen little neck clams per 2 people
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
- 3 cups white wine
- 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
Instructions
Cutting And Getting Your Ingredients Ready
- Cut 1/3 cup (75.6 grams) of fresh Italian parsley. Wash the parsley with cold water and put it on a cutting board. Hold the knife flat in front of you on top of the parsley.
- Hold the handle with your main hand and press down on the tip of the knife with your other hand. Cut the parsley into pieces by moving the knife up and down.
- Keep chopping your parsley until it’s in small, easy-to-handle pieces.
- You can use kitchen scissors or tear parsley with your hands. But these methods may not give you precise cuts.
- Chop one tablespoon (14.3 grams) of fresh garlic. Separate the cloves, peel off the skin, and slice them as thin as possible. Then, cut the slices in the opposite direction until the garlic is finely chopped.
- To finely chop garlic, you need to cut the cloves into tiny pieces.
- Place your knuckles against each piece of garlic to keep them in place.
- As you hold the knife against the cloves, slightly bend your knuckles. This will create a space between the garlic and your fingertips.
- Wash 36 small clams. Rinse them under cold water and scrub them clean with a hard brush.
- If you see clams that won’t close when you tap them, they are no longer good to eat and should be thrown away.
- Cook the garlic in butter in a pan. Heat the pan on medium heat, which is usually around 300 °F (149 °C). Put in 2 to 2.5 tablespoons (30 to 37.5 grams) of butter and add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of minced garlic. Stir gently with a whisk for about 30 seconds, or until the garlic turns brown.
- Be careful not to burn or cook your garlic for too long – this will make the dish taste bad. If you cook it too much by mistake, throw it all away, clean the pan, and start again.
- Put lemon juice in the skillet and heat it until it boils. Pour 3 tablespoons of lemon juice into the skillet. Then add the rest of the butter, cover the skillet, and boil everything for up to 30 seconds.
- You should see some small to medium bubbles in your mixture when it starts to boil.
- Heat 3 cups of white wine in a pot on medium-high heat. When the wine starts boiling (you’ll see bubbles), add in your clams after about 5 minutes.
- Take off the cover every minute to see how the wine is doing.
- Always cook your wine. It takes out the alcohol.
Cooking Your Small Clams by Boiling Them
- Combine 36 small clams with butter, garlic, and lemon juice. Also, add the rest of the butter.
- Don’t pile the clams on top of each other because it can stop the bottom clams from opening. Stir the clams gently until all are coated with butter.
- Make sure to flip your clams with tongs occasionally to make sure they cook evenly inside.
- Carefully pour hot white wine into your pan with your clams. Use 1 cup of white wine for every 12 clams. The wine adds flavor and helps open the clam shells. Cover the pan with a lid after adding the wine.
- Use a measuring cup to measure the wine. For this recipe with three dozen clams, you’ll need three cups (0.71 L).
- Cook your clams in steam for 5 minutes. Check them every 1 or 2 minutes to see if they are open. After 5 minutes, they should all be open and cooked.
- When clam shells open, it means they’re finished cooking.
- Clams that are closed may not be cooked properly or could be spoiled. Bad clams have broken shells, smell bad, and have shriveled or discolored insides.
- Don’t cook your clams for a long time or they will get tough and not taste good.
- Take out one clam at a time with tongs, then add parsley on top. Put each clam on a new plate. Add 1/3 cup of chopped parsley evenly over the clams. Lemon wedges are also good to serve with them.
- If you made pasta with clams, put the clams and parsley on top.
- Put your extra clams in a colander in the fridge for up to 2 days. Don’t use plastic, as it can make them bad. Put the colander on a dish, cover it with a wet towel, and store it in the coldest part of your fridge.
- Store your clams at 33 degrees Fahrenheit. They may go bad if they are kept between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To get the best results, keep your clams with some seaweed to copy their natural home.
How To Store Little Neck Clams?
To keep little neck clams fresh:
- Put them in a container that lets air in the fridge.
- Don’t use sealed bags or containers because clams need air.
- Put the clams in a bowl, cover them with a wet cloth or paper towel, and store them in the coldest part of the fridge.
- Don’t soak them in water because this can make them die.
- Eat the clams within two days for the best taste.
- Before cooking, make sure any clams that are open and don’t close when you tap them are thrown away because they are not fresh.
How To Serve Little Neck Clams?
To make little neck clams, try these ideas. You can steam them with butter and lemon for a classic taste. Or make a sauce with garlic, wine, and herbs to pour over the clams. Add them to pasta or seafood stews near the end of cooking. You can also grill them with garlic-herb butter or aioli on the side.
Small neck clams are a tasty seafood that can be cooked in different ways. You can steam, grill, or add them to pasta or soup. These clams taste great and are easy to make. Just follow these steps to cook them perfectly and make any meal better.
Thanks for reading. I hope you find it helpful.
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