Bacon Garlic Clam Platter Recipes

CLAMS WITH BACON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Soak the clams in water seasoned with salt about 1 to 2 hours. Wash them under running water before cooking.
• Add the olive oil, the unpeeled crushed garlic and the bacon cut into strips in a frying pan and cook over medium-low heat for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the clams, stir, cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat until the clams open completely.
• Sprinkle with chopped coriander and turn off the heat. Serve the clams with a good and fresh white wine!

FETTUCCINE WITH BACON-CLAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain clams, reserving 1/4 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine the butter, garlic, parsley, oregano, pepper, clams and reserved juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. , Stir in the cream and Parmesan cheese; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until heated through. Add bacon. Drain fettuccine; stir into sauce.

STEAMED CLAMS WITH BACON, TOMATO, AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to break down and sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes.
• Increase heat to moderately high, then add clams and bring to a boil, covered. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until clams just open wide, about 6 minutes (discard clams that do not open after 10 minutes). Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

BAKED CLAMS WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook the clams: Heat a large skillet over high heat. Rinse the clams one final time to make sure they are free of any grit. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet, add the clams and vermouth and cook, shaking the skillet slightly, until the clams open. Remove and cool. Reserve any cooking liquid.
• Make the breadcrumb mix: Place the remaining 10 tablespoons butter in the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, scallions and lemon zest and juice and pulse to blend. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the breadcrumbs.
• Prepare and bake the clams: Detach each clam from its shell and put the meat back in the shell. Mix the reserved cooking liquid from the clams (if any) with the cream. Pour a touch of the cream mixture on top of each clam and immediately mold some of the breadcrumb mixture into each of the shells so the clam body is covered. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until hot, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and preheat the broiler.
• Broil the clams for 1 minute, watching them constantly so they don't burn. Remove them from the oven. Squirt with lemon juice. Top each clam with some parsley. Serve immediately.

CLAM AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups water and the vermouth to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the clams, cover and cook until they start opening, 4 to 10 minutes; as the clams open, transfer them to a bowl using tongs. (Discard any unopened clams.) Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon starts to crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the spring onions, sliced celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 7 minutes.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables in the pan; cook, stirring, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Slowly add the reserved clam cooking liquid, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the clams to the saucepan (remove from the shells and chop, if desired); add the peas. Cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the half-and-half. Top with celery leaves and serve with the baguette.

BACON-PARMESAN GRILLED STUFFED CLAMS

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium heat.
• Fill large skillet with water to 1-inch depth. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add clams; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 3 to 4 min. or until clams open. (Discard any clams that do not open.) Drain clams in colander; rinse with cold water to remove any sand. Remove clam meat from shells; chop and set aside. Reserve 36 clam shell halves.
• Cook bacon in large skillet on medium heat until crisp. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 sec. Stir in crumbs and parsley; remove from heat. Add cheese and oil; mix well. Stir in chopped clams.
• Pour 1/2-inch-deep layer of kosher salt into 16-5/8x11-7/8x2-5/8-inch disposable aluminum pan. Fill shells with bacon mixture; place in single layer in salt. (The salt prevents the filled shells from tipping over.) Place pan on grill grate; grill 4 min. or until clams are heated through. Serve with lemon wedges.

BACON-BROILED CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Line a 10-by-15-by-1-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange clams on prepared baking sheet.
• Scatter scallions evenly over clams. Place one piece of bacon on each clam. Broil close to heat just until bacon is lightly browned. Serve immediately, accompanied by bread.

BAKED CLAMS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Heat a large skillet and add the clams. Add the white wine and cook the clams over high heat until they open. Remove the clams from the skillet as they open using a pair of kitchen tongs, and gather them in a large bowl. Allow clams to cool for a few minutes and then twist off the top shells, leaving the clam "meat" in the bottom shells. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Place the cut bacon in a skillet and cook until crispy. Drain on a paper towel and reserve the grease.
• Place the butter in the bowl of a food processor and add the scallions, garlic, lemon zest and half of the lemon juice. Pulse to blend. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved bacon grease and the breadcrumbs and stir to blend. Place the breadcrumb mixture on a baking sheet and cook in the oven until golden brown and bubbling, 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Remove the clams from the refrigerator and loosely mold some of the breadcrumb mixture into each shell so the clam body is somewhat covered. Arrange the clams in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Broil for 1 minute, watching constantly so they don't burn. Remove from the oven and squirt with the remaining lemon juice. Top each clam with the bacon and parsley and serve immediately.
• *Note: For safety reasons, discard any clams that are open before you cook them and any that are closed after you cook them.

CLAMS WITH FRIED CILANTRO, GINGER, GARLIC AND BACON

Steps:

• Steam the clams with the water and butter in a covered pan for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep covered. On a medium flame fry the garlic, ginger, cilantro, shallots, and bacon separately in the safflower oil. They will lightly brown in seconds so stand ready with a slotted spoon. The ginger takes the longest, but that means 10 seconds. The bacon is done in literally a blink of an eye. When the cilantro leaves turn dark green; it's done. Drain each on a paper towel.
• Save the clam nectar to use later. Discard one shell from each clam. On a single platter or individual plates, place the clams on their half shells. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter the fried garlic, ginger, cilantro, shallots and bacon over the clams. Serve warm and eat by hand.

GARLIC & PIMENTO BUTTER CLAM WITH BACON

Steps:

• Prepare the butter: In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, pimentos, garlic, and chives.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Mix well.
• Add parsley.
• Mix well.
• Spoon the butter onto a piece of parchment paper, for a long 1-inch round log.
• Roll the log up tightly in the parchment paper.
• Wrap the butter log a second time in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate until firm (*Ialways make more of this butter. It's really versatile and hey, how can you have too much butter?) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With an oyster knife, shuck each clam, remove the top shell and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Loosen the clams away from the bottom shell.
• Remove the butter from the refrigerator and slice into thin pats.
• Place the pieces of bacon on top of each other and slice into 1-inch pieces.
• Place a pat of the butter on top of each shucked clam.
• Lay a piece of bacon on top of the butter.
• Place on the top rack in the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy.
• Remove from the oven and place the clams on a large platter.
• Pour any pan drippings over the clams.
• Garnish with parsley.

LINGUINE MARINARA WITH CLAMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon in large skillet on medium heat until crisp. Use slotted spoon to remove bacon from skillet; drain on paper towels. Discard all but 1 Tbsp. drippings from skillet.
• Add garlic to reserved drippings in skillet; cook and stir 2 min. Stir in pasta sauce, clams and half the parsley; cover. Cook 7 min. or until clam shells are opened. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Drain pasta; place in large bowl. Discard any clams that do not open. Spoon remaining clams and sauce over pasta; top with remaining parsley and bacon.