Grilled Clams with Herb Garlic Bread
Categories:
Articles, Fresh and Clean, Healthy Food, Nutifood, Recipe
Starting with a very hot grill is key to not overcooking the clams.
For the herb butter:
- 1 cup parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped chives
- 1 pound butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- Kosher salt
- Fill a pot with about 4 quarts of heavily salted water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, blanch the herbs for 15 to 20 seconds in the water. Transfer the blanched herbs to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Once cold, remove the herbs, squeeze them to get rid of excess water, and place them in a blender, pureeing until smooth. You may have to add a touch of water to get the puree moving.
- Transfer the herb puree to a large mixing bowl along with the room-temperature butter and garlic and mix well. Season with salt, to taste. The butter should be bright green. Set aside until you are ready to use. Makes more than needed for clam recipe.
For the clams:
- 4 dozen littleneck clams
- 3/4 pound butter or Ghee
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 loaf country-style bread, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
- Place the clams in a large mixing bowl or pot under cold running water until there is no trace of sand.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add the garlic. Gently cook the garlic until just aromatic with no color, 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and zest to the pan and remove from the heat. Set aside as you cook the clams.
- Place the clams on a very hot preheated grill and close the lid. Check the clams every minute or so and as they start to open, remove them one by one and transfer them to a large bowl on the side. Pour half of the melted lemon-garlic butter over them and toss. Reserve the rest of the butter for extra dipping.
- As the clams cook, place the bread on the grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the slices are nicely toasted but not too charred. When you’re ready to serve, generously spread the herb butter on the bread and serve alongside the clams. Serves 4 to 6.