I love clams. All sorts and in all different ways. Cooking clams isn't hard at all. It's a great way to impress a crowd that doesn't take too much time in the kitchen. I like steaming my clams like how most people have theirs: with a bit of aromatics such as garlic, shallots, and onions steamed with white wine.
For the below recipe, instead of going the typical route, I decided to give it an Asian twist. I added ginger for zing and chili paste for kick. I used rice wine instead of white wine and fish sauce instead of salt. I also added bacon fat to give the clams some extra body and flavor. Bacon fat isn't an Asian ingredient but it is a universal truth that everything tastes better with bacon fat.
Serve the clams with a loaf of toasted french baguette to slop up the savory broth, or simply do what I did. Pick up the bowl entirely and slurp down the broth. I don't judge.
Asian Steamed Clams with Ginger and Rice Wine Recipe
Ingredients
3 lbs Manila clams (cleaned and scrubbed)
3 tablespoons bacon fat
Half of large onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (minced and sliced thinly)
1 inch knob ginger (peeled and julienned)
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup rice wine
2-3 sprigs cilantro (minced)
Instructions
In a large skillet with a lid, heat up the pork fat on medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chili paste. Cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, and wine. Mix until combined and let it come to a boil.
Once the mixture is boiling, add the clams and give it a toss until the clams are evenly coated.
Cover the skillet with a lid and turn the heat to low. Steam the clams until they all open up (10-15 minutes). Discard any clams that fail to open.
Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with toasted baguette.
We opted for a seafood boil this Thanksgiving. It’s quicker to make and everyone enjoys grabbing their favorite seafood. We did King crab legs, clams, large shrimp, sausage and sweet corn. The sauce that brought everything together was a fiery and buttery garlic lemon pepper. Everything came together in under 30 minutes. If you have half an hour to spare, you too can make a feast fit for a King.