When summer time fades and the season tilts to autumn, this steamy bowl of buttery clams hits the spot.
I skilled a bowl like this in the future final fall. I used to be researching a journey story on the northern coast of the Olympic peninsula in Washington. If there’s a furthermost nook of the northwest U.S., then that is it. The peninsula is dominated by the Olympic Nationwide Park, a UNESCO World Heritage website, which sprawls a number of ecosystems, together with mountainous peaks and old-growth forests. Quite a few cultural, archeological, and historic websites are woven all through the panorama, spanning millennia of human occupation from indigenous first cultures to newer histories of exploration, homesteading, and group growth.
On this journey of discovery, the climate was grey, foggy, and misty with intermittent (i.e. frequent) rain showers in true Pacific Northwest type. Sure, it was seasonally moist (the autumn season brings the rain). It was additionally magical, mystical, and luxurious. The horizon loomed with teetering mountains, shrouded in swirls of clouds and fog and bedecked with garlands of waterfalls cascading into serpentine lakes. It was desolate, due partly to the climate and likewise the season. I had the roads to myself snaking by means of canyons, interrupted often by logging vans barreling previous and surprising me out of my reverie. I hiked to a ridge, rain be damned, with distant views to British Columbia, by means of a mist-laden rain forest lush with moss. I traced a river to a roaring crescendo of water tumbling from a precipitous ledge, and I noticed salmon spawn.
By the tip of the day, chilly, soggy, and famished, I returned to sea stage to a small fishing city anchoring the mountains to the ocean. There have been no eating places open at 4 pm, however for one lone storefront illuminated within the drizzle, with a fish market that offered counter service, the place I ordered a easy bowl of garlicky clams steamed in wine and swimming of their buttery juices, buttressed with slabs of garlic bread for absorbing the candy broth. The singular accompaniment was an icy glass of snappy native riesling. It was excellent.
Since then, I’ve recreated this dish at house numerous occasions. It’s easy and persistently rewarding. The one factor lacking is the climate.
Butter and Garlic Clams
Littleneck clams are my most well-liked sort of clam for this recipe. They’re the smallest Quahog clam with candy and tender meat. Relying on their dimension, one pound yields 8 to 12 clams. When cleansing clams, discard any opened clams or clams with damaged shells earlier than washing. Rinse the clams beneath chilly water, gently scrubbing them clear. As soon as cooked, discard any unopened clams earlier than serving.
Lively Time: quarter-hour
Whole Time: quarter-hour
Serves 2 to 4
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups un-oaked white wine
2 tablespoons recent lemon juice
Salt and freshly floor black pepper
2 kilos littleneck clams, about 24, rinsed and scrubbed clear
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
Lemon wedges for serving
1. In a big deep skillet with a lid soften the butter with the oil over medium warmth. Add the garlic and sauté till gentle and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the wine, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Convey to a simmer and add the clams. Cowl the pan, scale back the warmth to medium-low, and steam the clams till the shells have opened, shaking the pan now and again, 6 to eight minutes, relying on the scale of the clams.
2. Take away the lid and discard any unopened clams. Style the broth and season with extra salt and pepper if desired. Divide the clams and cooking liquid between serving bowls and garnish with the parsley. Serve instantly with garlic bread or crusty bread.